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[François]

well there probably ain't too many japanese girls called alice but i guess francois don't got no business making a thing of it 

I say I'm a fan of the series, and in terms of esthetics and concept that's entirely true, but on a game-specific basis it's more accurate to say I'm mostly a Nocturne/DDS fag because I haven't played SMTII very far (tried the patch when it came out but postponed playing it for reals until I got around to finishing the first game) or any of the Persona games at all. So yeah, given that there's stuff that's perhaps clearer in the light of the games I haven't played, one might say this LP is extra-blind. Blind deluxe, if you will.

Oooh, now I vaguely remember Alice showing up in IMAGINE in some fashion, but that must have been a little after I stopped playing.

[R^2]

As far as I can tell from some cursory poking around the Internet, she's just a girl in this game. [spoiler](Obligatory Ninja Gaiden reference)[/spoiler]

In later games she shows up as a summonable demon, often with a unique skill called "Die for Me". So do Nebiros and Belial. They really should have a TEAM ATTACK but I doubt that's ever the case.

[Koah]

You can fuse Nebiros and Belial to get Alice in Persona 4, though, and having them both at the same time in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army leads to a quest chain that lets you fight her (and possibly get her as a demon, I'm not sure).  That... might be all the special things there are for those three.  Still, continuity nods.

[Brentai]

so those hands took me by surprise in more than one way.

If I had a nickel

[Saturn]

You can fuse Nebiros and Belial to get Alice in Persona 4, though, and having them both at the same time in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army leads to a quest chain that lets you fight her (and possibly get her as a demon, I'm not sure).  That... might be all the special things there are for those three.  Still, continuity nods.

You get requests from "uncle red" and "uncle Black" in Raidou 2

[François]

*: We return to the Roppongi main floor. I'll explore it again, though I have no real hope of finding anyone. There are random encounters, so the force field is probably down. That or the demons figured out the *ahem* secret passage.

I suppose the "humans" are gone now that their creators have disappeared, but what the heck, I'll check out the disco anyway. Maybe I can score some free drinks.


: Oh! Huh, hello.



Huh, so the fake souls are still there, but their bodies are now revealed for what they are.

*: Everyone's saying the same things they were before, but they're just Zombies or Lady Zombies, which really makes me feel that allowing Kei to die was the right thing to do. We occasionally fight those, but mostly there are Baykoks and Larvae and all the stuff that flooded the other floors. We get Tentarafu'd by Phantoms more times than I'd like, but it's still not too difficult.


: Just got here, huh? Yyyyyyeah, good luck, buddy.

*: The shops are still empty. I don't know why I had hoped they wouldn't be, but I had to check.



So the force field really is gone. And the intact buildings were an illusion. Oh well.

It feels like any place I go to has a decent chance of being fucked up all to hell by time I leave. All I have to do now is find out where Yuriko is hiding and then exist in close proximity to that area until my luck happens and something blows up.

That, or track her down and spank her until she dies of it.

*: I could go back to Shinjuku to regroup, but I still have way more MP than my maximum so there wouldn't be much of a point. Unless I want to try my luck with the Tengu again, that leaves me with one place to go.



It conveniently opened up when the field came down, so I might as well check it out.



So, a tunnel. It's promising.

*: First two floors don't have much but Roppongi demons, a bunch of dead ends, and down staircases.



I can see on the Mapper spell display that the third floor is not a square, but a winding tunnel. Now I'm getting somewhere.


: I'm glad to see you, but your dramatic death scene is gonna be blunted if you keep popping up like that.
: Come on, I'm speaking to you from beyond the grave while God's got his back turned. Can you stop being a smartass for five whole seconds?
: Yeah, of course, sorry man.
: Within the former police headquarters, there's a small army of robotic police. It's apparently been dormant for years, but someone's activated it again.
: You've got to be shitting me. It's like we're getting the Apocalypse Variety Sampler. What's next, a meteor?
: No, that's alright, I-
: You stay the hell out of this! Seriously!
: Please stop whoever is controlling them! I'm dead and no longer have a body, so I can't do it myself. If you go a little further, you'll run into an intersection. If you turn right at that intersection, you will end up in Ginza. If you keep going straight at the intersection, you will arrive at the former police station. Please, Francois, you're the only one I can ask...
: Yeah, I got this, buddy. Thanks for the directions. Say hi to Kei for me!
: Hi, Kei.
: Wha-
: Hi~!
: Oh.
: Ha!
: Alright, alright, good one. You go back to carving clouds into little baby angel statues or whatever it is you do up there. See you not too soon I hope!

Oh, that Kaneda, what a card.

He didn't tell me what was on the left-hand path though. Lessee...


: Hey, Steven-san! Daaaang, did they outfit you with an adamantium wheelchair or something?

Also he doesn't look thirty years older. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

: Are the programs I gave you helping out?
: You could say that.
: By the way, I bet you find it inconvenient only being able to summon three minions at once, don't you? Wouldn't you like to be able to control more at a time?
: Sure, Gwaelin, that would be swell!
: I thought so. That's why I developed this special upgrade to your summoning program. Let me install it in your computer, and you will be able to summon four minions simultaneously.

*: WOOOOOOOO!

: Hey, thanks!
: I'll see you later.

Wait a minute, that's not a software update, he just changed a line in the .ini! What a doucher!

*: Oh hey, this incredible upgrade is in a room exactly one tile inside the one corridor you're not told about.

Anyway, I get Yakshini on board. I have a full party again!


: Heeeey! If it isn't Mr.T! How's wormness treatin' ya, homes?
: I've been training myself, and have gotten a lot more powerful.



I size him up. He's just the one guy and I know he can be shocked and frozen. Might be fun!

: Alright dude, let's have a spar. We can have a little Ryu and Ken thing going on! You can be the cool loner, and I'll be the handsome one with a girlfriend.
: Ha ha, come on, I'm only kidding. I gotta warn you about something though.
: Oh, heh, way to back out of it. But okay, fine.
: This passage here behind me leads to Ikebukuro. But whatever you do, don't go there! I can't tell you why, but I'm telling you this to protect you, so please do what I ask. It's for your own good!

To protect me? There's still a good guy in there.

: I... yeah, okay. I trust you, man. I got other business to take care of anyway, so yeah. I'll see you when I see you!

*: I figure that when SMT bothers to tell me "don't go that way, you's gonna get raped", it means the hell out of it.

So I go back to the intersection and go south towards Ginza. Maybe there's a settlement there. There's an upstairs at the end of the corridor, then more stairs, taking us back to ground level.



Ginza houses several corporate headquarters, but is mostly known for being a very upscale shopping district, for clothes and jewelry and electronics and whatever else rich people need to spend their money on.

Heeeeey, so that's where the rockin' Ginza music belongs. There's a Terminal right in front of the entrance, so yeah, this place is probably civilized. I cannot wait to find shops!

In the meantime, I do find plenty of demons. Yakshini, Phurski, Lamia, Hakai-zo, Baykok, Dwarves...


Lv32 Black Ooze
A glob of incarnate malevolent energy that almost became a demon, but failed to attain any sort of coherent shape or true intellect. Their stats are mostly awful, but their above-average Strength and Stamina coupled with a colossal 450 HP means that they are kind of a bitch to kill. They're weak to electricity, but even then, casting enough Zionga on them to kill them takes a lot of MP. Since they seem quite susceptible to Bind, I usually set up a thing where Phurski uses Bind Voice and everybody else uses physical attacks, and then hit the Autobattle function. Like the Slimes, they know Death Touch, but they also have a Venom Breath skill that causes damage and inflicts poison.


Lv36 Yousei Hobgoblin
"Hobgoblin" is more or less interchangeable with "goblin", or designates a very similar creature. I don't think there was much of a definite dinstinction between the terms until D&D came along. Here they are fighter-mage types with okay Strength, but their threat comes from their large groups and their ability to buff each other with Taru-kaja and Maka-kaja. They also know Maha-Agion, which can be very dangerous despite their low Magic stat if they've had the time to use Maka-kaja a few times. I could see these buffs coming in really handy for me, so I might get one.


Lv37 Mesian Magus
Some sort of spellcaster affiliated with the Mesian Church, probably named after the Three Magi from the nativity story. They're fairly tough, with high HP and MP, but their stats are all in the 12-15 range, with Magic curiously being the low end of that. They know Zionga and Diarama, but the real worry comes from their Rimudora spell, which sacrifices the caster (only to Dying status) to deal massive damage.


Lv35 Chirei Kwanca
A demon presiding over disease, from the Hindu folklore of Nepal. Not usually a cheery sort, as he serves Shiva (god of destruction) and Kali (goddess of death), but with the right offering and mantra he is said to actually protect people from illness. Sounds like a typical racket to me but what do I know? Here they are white-mage types with okay Strength and just a little too few MP, knowing Hanma, Diarama and Parala-di.


: It was even bigger than the island at the mouth of the Sumidagawa river! I'm serious!

Hmm. That could be the Cathedral.

*: Yikes, a Baykok succeeds on using Mudo on Isora. Goodbye 300+ MP. On a similar note, Kei gains a level and learns Mahanma. Good girl!

The Hakai-zo won't give me the time of day because I'm Lawful, but I attack Magi and other Law demons on sight without a chat in an effort to correct that.

A Phurski gives me a Tokkosho (73/3, hits once), a sort of stout club with a short blade at the tip, wielded by some Buddhist guardian deities. It's strong, but it can only be equipped by Chaotic males and I probably won't get to use it.


: But you know, to me it really looks like nothing more than a power struggle. I think they're just rallying for support to make taking over easier!
: That would be consistent with their actions so far, yes.


: Yyyyyeah...
: Nobody knows for sure, but there's a rumor going around that the island actually floated there from somewhere else. Now where it floated from -- that's a good question!


: As to what it is though, that's anyone's guess.

*: The Kusanagi-no-tsurugi is a possibly-mythical sword, part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan along with a mirror and a jewel; one might say it's the Japanese Excalibur. Legend has it that storm god Susano-o found it in the corpse of the demonic serpent Yamato-no-Orochi (a tale familiar to those of you who have played Okami) and offered it to his sister Amaterasu, probably to apologize for the cave mishap that ended with Ame-no-Uzume's antics. Even today it is said to actually exist, but since it's supposed to only be shown in a closed ceremony when a new emperor takes the throne, it is likely that only the imperial family and their close retainers know the truth of it.




: Apparently, a demon summoner from Shinagawa saw them with his own eyes!


: Ueno's just north of here, but since the destruction of Tokyo, the very landscape has changed so that you can't get there as easily as before. I've heard that you can get there via Ikebukuro, but is that ever one long shortcut! Talk about a detour!
: ...
: Were you going to say something?
: Useful information! I'm moved to tears!



*: YESSSSSSS!

For a while I was getting worried my colossal fortune would not suffice to the task of updating my stuff, but no, it's gonna be plenty.

For Francois:
Dark Crown (10/3, +2 Stamina)
Tetrajammer (20/9, +1 Intelligence)
Kishin Gauntlet (7/5, +1 Strength)
Metal Boots (12/0, +1 Speed)

For Kei:
Demoneater Helm (10/5, +2 Strength)
Tetrajammer (20/9, +1 Intelligence)

I have to skip on Haou's Armor (28/8 +2 Stamina), which is Chaos-only. Oh well. On the glove front, I can pick from upgrades that give +1 to Strength or Stamina, but I have to give up the Cyber Arms' +2 Strength. Francois' the tank and he uses a single-hit sword, so it's not too bad, but for Kei's multi-hitting whip, every point of Strength is important and the defense on gloves isn't that significant, so she keeps the Cyber Arms.

For the boots, Kei already has the Sky Heels on sale. The Metal Boots have no evasion, but have a good bit of defense on my old Jet Boots.

Also, apparently dudes get a crown and ladies get a helm, which goes against everything Phantasy Star taught me.

A bit further I find a gun store, which also has some really good stuff: the M249 Mini (68/10, hits 2-8 times, a straight upgrade from the M16), the Browning M2 (72/0, hits 1-8 times, good if your natural accuracy is good) and the Pauza P50 (110/25, hits once, easily the most powerful single-target anything I've seen yet). There are also Blessed Bullets (9, no effect), Cursed Bullets (20, curse effect), Silver Bullets (16, no effect) and Uranium Slugs (25, no effect).

I'm almost tempted to buy Kei the Pauza, slap Uranium Slugs in it and call it a day. Hell, at 20k each I could afford six of them. But I'd have to give up the free multi-hit Sleep effect, which is still useful. Hmm.

Of course, I have very capable ailment-inflicters on my squad right now, and Kei can cast Dolminer for cheap. Hmmmmmmmmm.

Oh wait, girls can't equip the Pauza. In fact all of the new guns are dude-only. What, are there only dong-activated triggers in the future? Bah!

Okay, so. I get a M249 because my Speed's not too hot, and I keep the Nerve Ammo. But I also get a Uranium Pauza because I want to shoot a boss in the face with it. There's a drawback in that it's gonna take up two slots in my very limited inventory, but it just might be worth it.

And I pick up Cursed Bullets for Kei's SPAS12. It might not be a definitive upgrade, but maybe Curse is worth it, I dunno.

Right out of the shop I try my cool new toy on a Dwarf's notoriously soft, tender skull. It does 131 damage. I'm in love.

...Curse Bullets do Curse-type damage, which apparently doesn't work on the likes of Black Ooze and Baykok and who knows what else. Yyyyeah, I'm going back to Nerve Ammo. Or... I'll try Blessed Bullets, see if they're Super Effective or not.

Nope. Back to Nerve.



*: The Law theme is playing. More Fox News? ...Yeah, they're repeating the dead Ozawa broadcast. Man, you'd think the Shinjuku people tore down a statue of the guy or something.

There's a Rag's shop here too. Is the guy franchised?

...oh fuck, there are Oni-Joro here. That's an awful time to learn that Phurski is weak to electricity. I'm suddenly glad this game isn't on the Press Turn system.

Well, we beat them, but it wasn't easy.


: Only the chosen will be saved! Everyone else will die!
: Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. They tried to kill everybody last time, and as we can see it didn't work too well.

*: There's a staircase behind this guy, but we run into more Oni-Joro.

We're running low on MP, Isora and Rusalka are dead, and I haven't found any healers yet. I think it's time to call it a day. I have Kei use Toraport, and I warp back to Shinjuku to lick my wounds and maybe hit the Mansion since I got a few levels just wandering around here. Ginza hits that sweet spot where the fights are often challenging, without having me limping from encounter to encounter in despair and terror. We'll keep exploring it next time!

...it costs 5100 makka to raise Isora from the Dead status, and that's with the Law discount at the church. Daaaaaang. Good thing I'm rich.

[François]

*: Before going back to Ginza, I hit the Mansion in Shinjuku. I have interesting options, but some of them are Chaos and I don't want to give up useful Neutrals for them, and I can't rely on Law demons too much if I want to neutralize my alignment.

Hmm. There's an option in the Jakyou Mansion I haven't mentioned yet: the 3 demon fusion. There's kind of a good reason for that. I don't know how it works. The manual barely mentions it and the guides I have don't go into any detail.

I wonder if it's similar to Sacrificial Fusion in Nocturne, where a third demon is sacrificed to transfer experience into the newborn... but Nocturne has a system where demons actually level up and I don't see how that would affect things here.

In any case, I fiddle around some, and find an interesting result.

Rusalka + Nightmare + Isora =

Lv37 Youma Watcher
As far as I can tell, these guys are basically Beholders. Maybe. They could also be another name for the Grigori, a race of fallen angels decribed in the Book of Enoch, an ancient Hebrew religious text that is only biblical canon for the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches... but I don't know how those'd fit what we have here, plus fallen angels aren't exactly Law types. In any case, they are okay offensive spellcasters with a good Magic stat and high MP, but their main attractions are their two-hit normal attacks and Petra-Eye, which is a single-target petrification attack. Petrified enemies are basically bound forever, so it's just as good as instant death.

It's a Youma just like the Isora; in fact this is basically a rank up. I considered ranking Isora up with an Aeros (Rusalka + Elf again), but I'd rather give up Nightmare than Elf.



Well, there we are. I gave up two obsolete demons to upgrade Isora (to another Law demon, unfortunately). Not too bad, but when I go back to Neutral I'll have more interesting things to do.

You know, as long as I'm Law-aligned, might as well get as much benefit from it as I can. I go to the Church and buy a Rosary, which is now a very affordable 1500 makka. If I die, Kei can take over until she can drag my body to a healer, but she can't talk to or summon demons. I have massive HP and good defense, but all it'd take is one Baykok getting a lucky Mudo off.

Alright, enough of that, let's return to Ginza. We've still got a fair bit to explore.



I return to the room behind the Gaian propanga dude and climb the staircase behind him. It leads to a tiny square floor with a Gaian Temple and an exit to the overworld.



Hmm! I bet the second floor is divided into sections, each of which has an outside exit, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were controlled by different factions.

...I just realized that when I stopped last time, I was like five steps away from a healer. Oh well!

I go back in through the northwest entrance; there's a Mesian Church near the door. Yup, factions.


: Shinagawa is the the south. Go there, and visit the Head Church of Mesia!
: Thanks for the info. But... Err... Hmm. How do I ask this?

What does God need with a starship

: ...
: Don't be mean to her, you know these types can't handle that kind of question!
: Right, right, sorry. I'm... I'm sure it'll be a very nice starsh... err... Cathedral. Good for you!

*: I hire a Hobgoblin on my way out of the Mesian quarter. I find a down staircase nearby. Hmm, so there's more to this place than I thought.



...much more.

: Holy crap what the... err... I mean, hello! Good day! How's it hangin'?
: Why, you! Just whom do you think I am! You are in the presence of the great Datenshi Leonard! How dare you speak to me so familiarly!
: I don't know, you struck me as kind of down to earth and friendly. For... uh... for a giant horned bat thing with hooves.
: If you have something to say to me, come here!
>Leonard is motioning you to come closer.
: Well... okay.
: I don't think that's such a good idea-
: Look, there's one of him. If he tries anything funny, we can ice him.
: Ha ha ha ha ha! Gullible fool! You're too soft! Taste my power!

*: He gets a suprise round and... hits Kei. I AM NEVER GONNA HEAR THE END OF THAT, AM I.

We do kill him though. You can never trust a god damned (literally) Datenshi, I suppose. Man I hope it's okay to be racist against hellspawn.

Lv39 Datenshi Leonard
Leonardo isn't in the Lesser Key of Solomon; rather, I gather he might be an aspect of Baphomet, the supposed object of worship of the historical Knights Templar. He's a three-horned goatman, overseeing the orgies of demons and transforming his disciples into incubi, werewolves and other monstrous animals. He's fairly strong and durable, with extremely high MP and the Hapilma and Marin-Karin spells. He also knows Sabatmao; I don't know exactly what it does, but it is probably an upgrade of Sabatma (which summons one of your minions into battle so you can do something else with your turn). It costs 20 MP instead of 8, so it must be good.

Coincidentally, the picture I took of Leonard's stat sheet for my own reference is named SMT0666.png.


Lv36 Kijo Taraka
Apparently Taraka was a shape-shifting demon from Hindu mythology, who started ravaging the countryside after a hero transformed her into another sort of demon. Yet another hero tried to kill her, but he was reluctant to kill a woman, so he only cut off her arms, nose and ears. What a gentleman! Here they are fast physical attackers; they know Maha-Zio and Raku-nda, but their Magic stat is feeble. They also have Makatoranda, which is a very effective MP-stealing spell. If I had one I'd probably have her cast Maha-Zio every turn, even if only for the shock effect. I've also learned that they reflect petrifying effects, which would have pissed me off had Watcher been vulnerable to its own gaze.


Lv38 Youki Ibaragi-Doji
There's not a lot of information for this one, but apparently he was one of five oni who were terrorizing the Kyoto area around the year 990. He's a very strong and fast warrior-type, with relatively low defense but high HP. He knows Dolminer, Makajama and Raku-nda, and is definitely a hoopy frood who knows where his towel is.

*: A Lamia drops Brionac (60/20, hits once), a female-only weapon. It'd be cool if I had built up Kei as physical attacker, but right now the Lotus Whip regularly outdamages anyone else in the group so I'd be an idiot to give it up.


: Oh hey, fancy meeting you here.
: I have to say, you're quite the impressive one! You haven't been possessed by any demons yet, despite getting your hands messy in that department.
: Pfft, I'd dare some demon to try to get in my head. Idiots don't have any idea about how messed up it is in there.
: ...
: I'm... just kidding! Ha! Ha ha ha! Ha... Oh boy.
: It appears my judgement of you was right!
: It's that obvious, huh?
: By the way, have you ever wished you could stock more minions?
: Only every moment of every day, from the instant I wake up until I go to sleep!
: Install a Memory Board in your handheld computer, and you can increase the number of minions it can stock.
: Wow, nice!

A few seconds pass.

: So...?
: So what?
: You mean you're not gonna give me one?
: Where would you get such an idea? I'm not made out of Memory Boards.
:

I leave and come back.

: How are you doing? Have you found a Memory Board yet?
: Sir, I was gone for like five seconds. Are there any just lying around nearby?
: I wonder if perhaps with the scale of the destruction, maybe there aren't any left?

Hmm. Maybe there's some at the police department, if they were building robots.


Lv35 Yama Chulruk
No idea. Some sort of fire spirit, I suppose. Its stats are kind of average, with okay Magic, but it's got lots of HP and amazing MP. It knows Maha-Agi, Mudo, and Maha-Agion, making him into a straight-up fiery death machine.

*: I find some stairs back to the main floor, but I want to finish the basement first. I've found several Incenses yet, so it's worth it even if just for that.


: Not especially... but I like to keep my options open, if you know what I mean.
: 10000 Makka. Cough it up, or no dice.
: Pfft! Blow it up your ass, troll.
: Oh, so you think you can get through here for free, eh?
: It's not like you could stop me, small-time.
: Well now, I guess I'll have to rough you up a little then. Pishasha! Show this punk some manners!
: Pisha... pffffhahahahaha!



*: We destroy them, obviously.

: Hmm, you're not as weak as you look! But I'm just getting warmed up! Next I've got some Baykoks just spoiling for a fight! Think you can beat them?
: Look, I stopped counting how many Baykoks I had to kill just to get here. Heck, I was probably killing Baykoks before you were born. Why don't you just save yourself the expense? This beatdown isn't worth ten grand.



Sigh.

*: Between the nerve ammo and Kei's Makajama, we beat them without too much trouble.

: That's it! Now you've really made me mad! Time to break out the big guns!
: You want to see a big gun? Let me pull my Pauza out of my backpack. Otherwise we're just wasting each other's time.
: You don't stand a chance against my Lakhes!



Oh. Hmm! Okay.

*: They were quick and strong enough to kill Lilim in the first round, but then Phurski, Watcher and Yakshini had a turn and they all got either bound or charmed or petrified.

Unfortunately I can't summon Lilim again, so I get Hobgoblin to help us put the smackdown. This could have been ugly, but I had the right team with me.

Lv37 Jaki Lakhe
It's some sort of creature from Nepalese folklore, but I couldn't find much more than that. It's a strong and fast physical attacker, not much more than the other bruisers around here in terms of stats, but it has a strong Bite and a powerful multi-hit Rampage skill, which caused me a lot of trouble. It also knows Zanma but given its abysmal Magic stat I'd much rather see it use that than its other skills.

: Y-you beat my Lakhes!
: Looks like the apparent underdog beat the Fist of the North Star mook reject. Anyone surprised?
: H-holy crap, you're good... Can I call you Boss? Can I? Let me be your apprentice!
: Whatever, kid. Just don't get in my way again.
: Ah, Boss! You want to go through?
: Yeah.
: Please, please, go ahead! Don't let me get in your way!

*: I find some stairs behind the guy, but they lead to a sort of tunnel area, presumably leading to Shinagawa. I turn back.

: Oh! If it isn't Boss Francois!
: Yeah, uh, I didn't really want to go there in the first place. I just didn't like your attitude.
: Please, please, go ahead! Don't let me get in your way!

Loser.

*: I explore a bit more, and find more stairs down. Dang! How big is this place?


Lv35 Yuuki Sawobak
Another obscure Nepalese demon, apparently. All its stats are weak, except for its extremely high Magic, with which it can cast Maha-Agion and Agirao to devastating effect. It also knows Happy St(?), which I suppose is a happy-causing skill of some description.


Lv41 Youma Loa
Loa are powerful spirits of the Voodoo religion, acting as intermediaries between humans and their version of God. Some of them have been given the names of Catholic saints by slaves in Haiti and Louisiana, who wanted to be able to hide their true worship from their Christian owners. They are a diverse group; there is no one Loa. Some of them are kind and benevolent, others may be more dangerous but are also said to be more fun to be around, presiding over sex and such. The well-known Baron Samedi is a leader of the Ghede Loa, the spirits of the dead; he is the one who makes corpses rot in their graves so they do not rise and become zombies. Here they are good spellcasters with decent Strength and immense HP and MP. They know Mudo, Samaricarm and Toraport.


Lv45 Kijo Dakini
Important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, the Dakini are female embodiments of the drive towards enlightenment. They are teachers and protectors, and in the shared mythology with Hinduism, they serve the death goddess Kali and carry the souls of the dead towards the afterlife. They are mighty warriors, fast and durable, and know Death Touch, Sexy Dance and Maha-Agion. I'll probably want one to pick up the slack for when Yakshini needs a replacement.

*: Those Dakini almost murdered me, so I used in Indulgence. Being on the receiving end of Sexy Dance is no fun. Maybe I'll explore this floor later... It looks like it isn't very big, though. Eh, I can always Toraport out, as long as Kei doesn't kick the bucket. I keep going.


: Hey, you're that old man who kind of got me to meet Doman!
: While you were in the Kongokai, thirty years passed... Have you gotten used to the post-apocalyptic world yet?
: Are you kidding? I'm a bona fide Kenshiro over here, except that instead of making heads explode, I tell my friends to make heads explode for me.
: I've heard quite a few rumors about you... You're quite the active ones, aren't you?
: We haven't succeeded at fixing much, but we're doing stuff, at least.
: Hmm... You seem to be set upon your chosen path, but do you really believe what you are doing is right and just?
: I'm doing my best. But yeah, not all that we've done has had the result I would have liked.
: What is justice? Look deep into the recesses of your soul, and you will find the answer. Whenever you feel you have lost sight of the road ahead, come see this old man again. If it helps, I will look into your soul and give you what wisdom I can.

That's quite possibly the most comforting thing I've heard in a long, long time.

*: I see on the Mapper display that there's a corridor extending behind the old man's room, but I can't seem to get there. Hmm. That's all of B3 I can access right now, so I return to B2.

I find another up staircase, and finally complete the map. Dang, that was epic.



I return to the main floor, and find another up staircase there, leading to small floor with a Mansion and an exit outside. I'm almost done.

...a Dwarf gets lucky and manages to Hama my Phurski. Aw crap. Goodbye Bind Voice. I've been using that skill almost every battle, now I won't see it again until I switch alignment.

Huh, an Oni-Joro drops Raiden's Whip (37/14, hits 3-6 times, females only), which is 12 points stronger than the Lotus Whip, but hits up to 6 times instead of 8. Hmm... I'll give it a try.


: Robotic drones would protect the station and keep people out, but... I wonder if the thing is broken by now?
: Man, don't I wish.

*: A Kwanca uses Hama on Elf and Hobgoblin. I only have four members in my party now; all I have left in storage is Lilim, and I can't summon her.

I guess now's as good a time as any to mention my save state policy. Basically, I never cheat. I only use saves to make sure I can correctly screenshot story bits in case I miss some animation or some auto-scrolling text. Anything that happens, happens. I'm not saying I'm never TEMPTED, but no, that's not how I roll. This playthrough is 100% legit.

Whew, here's the main Ginza floor.



One last upstairs area...

I guess I'm really close to a Healer's Dojo, so when I meet five Hakai-zo, I have Watcher use Rimudora. To my surprise, it doesn't die of it. Maybe there's only a chance of death?

Aaaand yeah, Healer's Dojo, just like I suspected. It costs 15000 just to revive my people, and about 8000 to restore everyone. MP is really expensive.

Literally, the only allies I can summon now are Yakshini, Elf, Hobgoblin and Watcher. This is not ideal; it's barely a full party, and Elf is long obsolete.

I have Kei Toraport us back to the Terminal to save. The cost was high, but at least Ginza is done now; the only places I didn't explore were the Shinagawa tunnel and the corridor behind the old man. It doesn't look so bad just looking at the maps, but this took a crazy long time. I didn't count, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out I had over a hundred random encounters here; I gained four levels since I arrived, which is kind of nuts. God bless the autobattle function.

Next time: we go back through the tunnel we came in, and follow Kaneda's directions to the police station and its rogue army of murderous lawbots!

(In other words, we'll actually accomplish something! )

[R^2]

Watcher is probably Ichimokuren.

[Classic]

Remember, the demons under your control effect your alignment. Having a zillion law demons will make you more lawful.

[François]

Yeah, that's kind of a pain in my butt, since the fusions I had my eye on last time I was at the Mansion were all Law. Watcher is my only Law summon, and if I wasn't borderline shorthanded I'd find something else to use. I've been killing all the Law creatures I encounter on sight (Magi and Dwarves, mostly), but I think that's counterbalanced by the sheer number of Chaos demons in Ginza who are outright dangerous to talk to, like Phantoms and Black Ooze.

I've got a few free slots, so I'm seriously thinking of going back to earlier areas and fusing a couple of decent Neutrals off-screen, so to speak. I could probably go to Shibuya and slaughter me some Mesians while I'm at it. Besides, if I'm heading into a place crawling with Machines, it's not like I should expect to find much to recruit there.

Watcher is probably Ichimokuren.

Hmm, that'd make sense, Zanma and all. Nice!

[François]

*: I know I said we were going to the Police HQ, but my party is in too sad a shape to risk going somewhere new right away. I checked the fusion charts, and there are a couple critters I could really use, so I worked on getting those first. One of these options included fusing a Majuu demon, so that meant going back to the desert east of Shinjuku to recruit a Stonka. That said, I also met...


Lv35 Majuu Tammuz
Tammuz is a Sumerian god of food and plant life, who dies and is mourned at the summer solstice, and is then reborn six months later. I'm not sure where the giant scorpion comes from though. It's reasonably strong and has a fair amount of HP, but it also has remarkable Stamina and very high defense for its level. It knows Critical, a Paralysis Needle attack, and Parala-di. Unfortunately it seems weak to lightning and has poor magic defense.

So yeah, it'll do. It's a fairly tough Neutral demon on its own, so I might actually go back and get another once I fuse this one. The other good news is that now I know I can get two different Majuu at the same place, so that means I can easily make a Seirei Flamies if I need one to rank something up.

At the Mansion, it turns out I got a lot of options since I haven't had a Majuu in a while. The strongest one available to me is...

Yakshini + Tammuz =

Lv41 Juujin Werewolf
It's a goddamn werewolf. Great HP, immense Strength, great speed and decent Stamina. It has MP, but no spells, though it has a two-hit Claw attack, a strong Bite, and the Critical skill. A mighty brute, basically.

*: Yay Team Jacob!
: I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm suddenly filled with an intense sense of shame.

*: So yeah, I lose Sexy Dance, but damn, look at that! I haven't had a demon who could hit that hard since Kerberos, and Kerberos didn't have Critical. There are Yakshini in Ginza, but I've more or less explored all of Ginza anyway so they won't be much of a problem. And as it happens, Werewolf is the highest level Juujin, so I'm never going to have to think about ranking him up.

Also, it's been a while since I've worried about magnetite at all, but 10 CP is dirt cheap for a level 41 demon.

Alright, now to get another Majuu. I pick up another Tammuz, and a Werecat joins me on the way back to the Mansion in Shibuya. Perfect!

Tammuz + Phurski =

Lv39 Touki Gozuki
A sort of minotaur from Hindu myth, whose duty it is to guard the gates of the underworld against sinners trying to sneak out. It's very strong and durable, and reflects fire damage on top of that. It knows Sibabu (though its Magic Effect is nothing to write home about), but the main attractions are its free multi-hit Fireball skill, and the mighty Rampage skill, the latter of which caused me so much trouble against the Lahkes.

I didn't want to give up my Phurski, but Werecat and Lilim fuse into one. Aaaand I go pick up a third Tammuz, just because they're tough mofos. I'm glad I never met them before; I never had the chance to slaughter them by the dozens, so they join me pretty easily.

So, my lineup for now:
-Werewolf (Neutral-Neutral)
-Watcher (Neutral-Law)
-Hobgoblin (Neutral-Neutral)
-Gozuki (Neutral-Neutral)
-Phurski (Neutral-Chaos)
-Lilim (Neutral-Chaos)
-Tammuz (Neutral-Neutral)

...which is enough to make an entirely Neutral team with Watcher as back-up if anyone croaks. We're light on healing but I got Magic Stones and Orbs coming outta my ears, and Kei is extremely competent in that regard anyway.

Before I go back to the Ginza area, I make one last change. I give up Kamudo's Sword and equip the Bizen-Osafune that Takeminakata dropped way back when. I have good Strength, and I hope the additional hits will make it count more. If I really need high single-hit damage, I can always equip my Pauza.

Alright! I teleport to Ginza and go down the stairs right in front of the terminal, which is the way I came in originally, then go north when I arrive at the crossroads where I saw Kaneda.


: I know it looks harmless, and that it's got to be a trap... but I have to. I'm sorry Kei, I just have to.
: I'm not going to try to stop you. It's...
: ...the only way I learn?
: What? No! It's what I like about you!
: Oh. Uh, wha...? Oh! Hey! Okay, nice! Thanks! It's... what I like about you too!
: You like the adorable way I give everyone and everything a chance despite how I usually end up helplessly blundering into trap after trap after trap?
: ...
: ...
: Look, I'm just gonna...
: Please do.
: Heyo, how's it-
: Such a strong will... Is this truly a human?
>Decarabia is watching you warily.
: Uh... yeah. Yeah! Of course! I got the bellybutton and everything, see?



:
: Ha ha ha ha ha!
: I... I'm just going to pretend you didn't say that.
: Foolish human, you don't know your own limit! En guarde!!

Lv42 Datenshi Decarabia
A Great Marquis of Hell, commanding 30 legions of demons, who appears in the form of pentagram but can transform into a man if asked politely. He knows all there is to know about herbs and precious stones, and can take the shape of any bird and sing as they do. As far as fallen angels go, this one seems like a nice enough fellow. Here though, they're assholes. They have high HP and MP, excellent Strength and okay Magic, and seem to resist fire damage. They know Maha-Zanma and Tetraja, and are the first demons we meet who know Tetra-karn, a spell that reflects all physical attacks directed at the caster's party for one round.  Considering my current party is specializing in physical damage, this is kind of a pain.

: Who's got the stupid face now, huh?

*: That was kind of a tough battle, especially for a random encounter. Next up is a group of Worms, and... a Werewolf. Oh well.



*: Oooh, a fancy elevator. This must mean we're under the police station.



I... guess this is darkness?

No, it must be smoke.


Lv21 Machine T93F
A basic type of robot, with mostly horrible stats but acceptable Strength and Stamina. That said, they have 60 HP and no skills. I just autobattle them. They drop Hand Grenades, a one-shot Zan item.

*: Wait. Waitwaitwait. Devil Analyze says Machines are Lawful! It's robot-bustin' time!


Lv32 Machine T9SD
Easily the most dangerous robot here. Their stats are downright feeble (with their excellent Speed excepted), but they're annoyingly durable and always hit everyone with their normal attacks. That is irritating as fuck. Fortunately, they're weak to electricity and, for some reason, vulnerable to sleep. They can drop the Dragon ATM, which is a one-shot Maha-Zanma. Some type of missile launcher, maybe?


Lv25 T9SC/P
They're fast and hit several times, but they're nowhere near as irritating as their green cousins because they only have 80 HP. I autobattle them with no regrets.



*: Oh crap, I did not expect that. I have nothing that cures Stone. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

No, wait, never mind, I still have my Watcher, they leave me alone. Whew!

I find another elevator that tells me there are five floors here, plus the basement. Luckily, if the basement is any indication, these floors aren't too big anyway.



That said, I take the stairs.

First thing I find on the ground floor... is an exit.



That reminds me I really haven't explored the Ginza overworld.

...I go just a bit east.



...oh wow. You've got to be shitting me. It was right there. That'll teach me not to explore!

Might as well hit a healer before going back to the police station.

...man.

Turns out there's not a lot to the station. I'd recommend taking the elevator straight to the top floor, but there's an Incense on the third and two on the fourth. Otherwise, it's smoke and pitfalls and trapped chests and hordes of robots. The hardest bit has been fighting seven Watchers on a Full Moon; we almost died on account of Zanma and Rimudora, but we managed to avoid getting petrified.

In fact it cost us so much MP to survive that I take the elevator to the ground floor and go heal up before tackling 5F.



Aw crap. I've explored this place from top to bottom, and I didn't find no ID Cards. Unless it was carried by a robot, in which case it's probably been torn apart.

Huh? Wait...



I can just push these open! Alright!

*: Only one room left. I equip my Pauza and slap in a fresh magazine of Uranium Shells. Let's do this!



Holy shit, that's Doctor Wily! Where's Rockman when you need him?

: The Control System for the robotic police force is working! With the robots under my command, I'll slaughter the humans, the demons -- Everyone! I'll send every last living thing in this city to Hell! Heeeeeheeheehee!
: Doc, I hate to break it to you, but even just the demons in Ginza could level this place by turning over in their sleep and not even wake up.
: ...What are you doing here!? You're not trying to stop me are you!? I won't allow you to interfere with my plans!!
: Dude, you're a roadbump. I'm only here because it's my dead buddy's last request. Or... his last request until the next time he asks me to do something, at least.
: Take care of them, my robot sentinels!



: Oh, please. If I had kept the scrap metal from every one of these I've had to break to get here, I could build a house. Can't you send an ED-201 after me or something, just so I didn't bring my huge gun for nothing?

*: Yeah, this took two rounds. No sweat.



Of course I'm gonna destroy it. I don't have the time to foil some mad scientist' plans every weekend.





: Proceeding with extermination of invaders!



*: So Shodan is a dude here. I can dig that, I guess.

Kei's Zionga does 14 damage, but at least it's not immune to shock. But it is immune to firearms. Dang!

I guess we're just gonna have to bash at the screen; at least Hobgoblin can buff our physical attack through the roof. Heh, Werewolf keeps using Bite on the thing.

Oooh, for one round I decide to have Kei attack instead of castion Zionga, and the System does 75-100 damage to four people. Yeeeesh. I'm glad Kei is fast enough to act first.

A few rounds later, we're done. By the end I was hitting for around 120 damage per round.



Holy crap that's a lot of EXP. I only gain one level, but it's gonna take a trivial amount to level again. Kei levels up too, and learns Maha-Zionga!



...oh. I use the last of one of my Magic Stone stacks, then come back.



Whew!


: Ehhh... I'm doing you a favor, buddy. These things would be no match for the horrors outside. You should just make yourself a fembot or something and spend the rest of your days here.

I leave the poor guy to his (broken) devices. I've got a computer of my own to take care of. Let's get back to Steven-san.


: Do they look like... THIS!?
: Oh, that's a Memory Board that you have! To think that there'd still be any left...
: I bet that's the only one left in the entire city, and I managed to find it. I'm beginning to suspect I'm awesome.
: Give that over to me, and I'll install it in your computer immediately.

I watch to make sure he doesn't stick it into his wheelchair or something.

: ..................Done! Now You can stock another two minions in your computer! My Demon Summon Program has gotten more convenient in that sense!

Sweet!

*: I leave, then return.

: How are you doing?
: Err, great! Well, fine. But great.
: I wonder, is 10 minions enough for you?
: It's better, but ideally, a bigger number would be best. Maybe around the vicinity of infinite minions.
: Have you found a Memory Board yet?

Oh. Oh well. One step at a time, I guess.

*: That's it for now. Next time, we'll...

We'll...

Hmm.

It's off to see the Mesians in Shinagawa, or through Ikebukuro to the Gaian HQ in Ueno. Though I guess nobody's ever warned me against going to Shinagawa, so it might be the best place to start, plus I still gotta balance my karma by killing tons of Law dudes.

Now that I think about it, I'll probably explore the overworld around Ginza first though, just so I don't somehow derp it up again.

[Classic]

You should probably give us a reminder on what your alignment is.

[R^2]

In Raidou 2, Decarabia and Ichimokuren have a scripted conversation the first time you meet one with the other in your active party. It's basically "Hey, you look funny! You have only one eye!" "Shut up! You have only one eye, too!" "Hey, you're right! Let's be pals!" And then you auto-recruit.

[François]

You should probably give us a reminder on what your alignment is.

Well, I've been Law ever since I gave Kei (neighbor) her eternal rest; that said, I figured that the rough consensus was to aim for Neutral. Plus I hear it's the canon ending that leads into SMTII, though that alone isn't weighty enough a consideration to make or break the deal.

Looking back, the one thing I'm unsure of is whether accepting Tetsuo's "offer" of a fight pushed me further into Law or back towards Chaos. At the time, duking it out with a friend on a whim to see who's the strongest felt like a very Chaos thing to do, but I don't know if the game interpreted it more as "I shall defeat you in the name of God, you abominable monster!"

[François]

*: Alright, it's time to get explorin'.

Before we go, I visit the Church to get some Indulgences, in case I run into more trouble than I can handle. Several Magi have dropped more Rosaries, so I think I'm well-equipped to face anything now.

According to what I heard, Ueno is north, but the way there is long and risky and it's best to get there underground, through Ikebukuro. Shinagawa is south, and I have already unblocked a tunnel there, though it can possibly be reached overland as well.

There is a third location of interest: the mysterious island that appeared at the mouth of the Sumidagawa river.



If my Google-fu is strong, that island shouldn't be far away by foot; just a little bit south and east, I think. It'll be my first destination. Plus, if Ueno is Gaian, and Shinagawa is Mesian, maybe the island was flown there by Neutral forces.

The geography has changed since the blast, but I can usually cross-reference the names in the Location field with Google maps to follow my general progress, so I don't think I'm in much danger of getting lost. Plus I can always Toraport back to Ginza if I need to.

First encounter in the wilderness is a group of Executioner Riders with some T9SC/Ps. We cut off the source of the machines, but yeah, there still are some running amok in the city.

Hmm. For some reason now, when Francois is hit by Makajama, he always takes 1 damage but is never affected. Bizarre.

You know, before I go too far south, I'll go north just to see what makes the overland route to Ueno so bad. You don't see it on the map, but the supposed shortcut through Ikebukuro would take us northwest, then east. Ikebukuro is really out of the way.

And soon enough...





Yeah, Kanda isn't even halfway to Ueno, and our path is blocked by collapsed highways and post-war rivers. Alright, that's what we wanted to see. Let's go back towards that island.

A bit southwest of the police station, we run into Tokyo Tower.



Miraculously, it's still standing, but it's now right next to a river. I'm curious. Let's check it out.

First encounter is some Magi, Bucca-Boos and Dwarves. This is nice; I was almost expecting Meiji Shrine-levels of rape. In fact the small ground floor is entirely populated by various Chirei and Mesians. There is the stench of Law about this place.

And about me.

Hobgoblin takes more damage than I'm comfortable with, but enemies here seem to drop Magic Stones pretty often, so I can't complain.



Ha! I thought I'd have to hoof it to the top, but this is nice.



More Mesians and Chirei here, trying to stop me from getting in with all the effectiveness of a strongly-worded letter.



Oh hey, there's that TV station. Makes sense. I'm technically on their side right now, so I don't expect much trouble.

: The one and only. You need me to fill in on your talk show or something?
: I've heard that name quite a few times. We broadcast your exploits over the news quite often.
: Well, that's nice. Of course, now the big shots know exactly who to assassinate to put a stop to all that bothersome change... but... hey, I'm on TV! Yeah!
: Since the world crumbled into ruin, the remaining people live in fear and shadow. That's why we will save them through the teachings of God. If we broadcast our message from here, we can teach many, many people his blessed message!

You know, everywhere I've been so far, the Mesians have been the underdog. Even their stronghold in Shibuya is overrun with Lilims and they couldn't even fund their church there. I know they're probably gathering their forces en masse, but if they can bring some hope and peace to the now lawless (no pun intended) inhabitants of the places I've been to so far, then I don't think I'd want to stop them.

Yet.

: By the way, I see that you're not just any demon summoner. You're a human that fights on the side of Law, just like our Mesia Church.
: Err... well... I suppose you could say that.

The dozens of mangled Zealots and Magi corpses I've left in my wake to get here would probably disagree.

*: If I was interested in going further into Law, I'm sure I could have talked all of them into letting me in, but I didn't even give them a moment to speak.


: We are working our hardest to spread the blessed teachings of God to as many people as possible.

Can't help but think the resources spent here would have been better used to topple Ozawa and the Roppongi nobles, but what do I know?

*: ...now that's weird. Look at my Mapper display.



Then at the automap:



How do I even get there? Maybe I missed a spot on the ground floor.

Nope, my map's complete there too. I guess there must be another way in, maybe a Terminal. Well, we're done here anyway. I get out, and keep going southwest.



Ha! So close, yet so far. Looks like it's the Ginza tunnel or nothing. I couldn't even see the mysterious floating island on my way here; it must be further east into Tokyo Bay, or maybe north-east, depending on what exactly the people meant by "the mouth of the Sumidagawa".

I explore a bit more to make sure I haven't missed a way to some other place, but no, I've seen everything. I Toraport back to the Ginza terminal, save, and head towards the Shinagawa tunnel, behind that pissant demon summoner idiot.

: Oh! If it isn't Boss Fran-
: Yeah, yeah, whatever.

A bit into the tunnel, we meet a few Temple Knights. Normally this wouldn't be worthy of mention, but I managed to find another Plasma Sword.

:

*: Francois' melee attack power is relevant again. Huzzah!

The tunnel is a bit long, but straightforward. The most threatening creatures here are Isora and Wendigo, and those aren't much trouble. Wendigo are occasionally fast enough to freeze everyone with Maha-Bufula before we can act, but all it takes is for Hobgoblin to get one Maha-Agion off to kill them all instantly.



Ooh, this is the other side of that isthmus were we had to turn back! Nice. I befriend a Stonka here; it's gonna be fusion fodder, to make a Seirei Flamies if I can use one, or whatever else.

I find a building just to the south.



I think that bridge to the east is Rainbow Bridge... but it's broken and leads nowhere.



So this should be the home of the Mesian head church. Let's check it out.

There's a regular Mesian Church, a Terminal and a Jakyou Mansion close to the entrance. Excellent!

I fuse Lilim and Stonka into Tamamo, the blue she-fox I mentioned earlier. Tamamo only has 54 MP, which is low for a caster, but she has 499 HP and okay defense, so she can tank better than anyone else in my party. And even if I was still Neutral, Lilim's very low HP would make her obsolete by now.

Next up is an Armor shop with some very cool stuff, the most interesting of which are Law-only, but there still are several nice upgrades for everyone.

For Francois:
-Dragon Helm (13/8, +2 Strength, plus mad Alucard-stylezzz points)
-Dragon Mail (30/15, +2 Intelligence)
-Draupnir (arm slot, 8/7, +1 Strength, also with Alucard points)
-Dragon Boots (4/10, +2 Speed)

For Kei:
-Crimson Armor (34/5, +2 Magic)
-Crimson Gauntlet (10/5, +2 Strength)
-Crimson Greaves (10/21, +2 Speed)

The Law-only Robe of Law (duh) can be equipped by males and females (I think Kei's alignment always matches yours); it has relatively low defense (12/12), but adds 2 to all stats. Technically I could get one (or two), but I think I'm more comfortable with unaligned equipment right now.

The Crimson Helm available to Kei is has better defense than the Demoneater Helm she already has, but its bonus is to Magic instead of Strength, and her Magic is already pretty good as it is.

The Dragon Boots are only marginally stronger than the Jet Boots I gave up for Metal Boots in Ginza, but the Speed bonus is better.

Man I love how you're not always looking at straight upgrades for equipment, there's often a strategic choice in play. All that stuff cost a pretty penny, but it barely dented my fortune. I'm only about 20% poorer than I was.

Okay, what's next?

A Junk shop and a Healer's Dojo. Huh. I'd have expected a gun store, what with all the God types around. Maybe it's further inside.

There are Phurski, Lamia, Loa, Sawobaks, Lakhes and Chulruks around. Looks like the Mesians have their own problems.


Lv41 Ryuu-ou Raja Naga
The Naga are a race of serpent deities, from Hinduism and Buddhism, often described as having either snake or human bodies, or a combination of both. Apparently they're often douchebags, but their motivations and dispositions vary, and some are quite benevolent. That said, what we have here is Raja Naga, the king of the Naga. I don't think there are regular Naga in this game, but they do show up later in the series. Raja Naga are strong and durable fighter-mages, with Zionga, Raku-Kaja and Wall of Water; they also reflect lightning damage and seem resistant to fire.

Ryuu-ou are mighty Neutral-Chaos snake deities, often related to dragons; as far as fancy reptiles go, they typically are more intelligent and less cruel than the bestial and predatory Jaryuu, but not as wise or as powerful as the Ryuujin (which we haven't seen yet).

*: ...a Loa punked Werewolf with a lucky Mudo, so I summoned Tamamo as a replacement. One fight later, against some Chulruks, I realize that HOLY SHIT TAMAMO NATURALLY REFLECTS PHYSICAL DAMAGE

: I think I'm in love.
: Huh, so you are into that. Is it the tails, or the blue hair, or...?
: What? No! I'm not a... No! Look, if you slit her throat, you're the one that bleeds out. How is that not awesome? I say we put her in front and let everyone have a go!
:
: Don't give me that face, you know what I meant!
: All too well. All too well.
:
:

*: Later on, more Loa kill off Hobgoblin and Tammuz. I can already tell, this place is gonna be a joy. Loa are Neutral-Law, but I guess I can't afford to have them on the Kill-On-Sight list; maybe I should leverage my alignment to get one to join and have them out of my hair permanently.

I return to the Church and get my people revived, which costs me a lot because there's a surcharge when they're Dead instead of Dying, and Mudo'll kill you all the way.

Well, I can tell exploring Shinagawa will take me a while, so I think I'm gonna call this an update. 'Till next time!

[Amuro Ray]

Awesome LP! I remember when Sharky did things like this. Good times!

[François]

Glad you like it! I just hope you won't mind too much if I have to kill a Majin Loki sometime. 

[François]

*: Alright, we're ready to explore Shinagawa, ostensibly the Mesian HQ, at least until their Cathedral is complete. Maybe we can get our hands on some juicy info here.

My current summons are Tamamo, Werewolf, Gozuki and Hobgoblin. I thought about replacing Hobgoblin with Tammuz, but the former has much better magic defense and no electricity weakness, and Taru-kaja is just incredibly handy to have.

...yikes. A fight against four Sawobaks is an awful time to learn that Werewolf is weak to fire. I'm gonna have to be careful around these guys.


*: "follow the", I suppose.
: The halls themselves are designed to attack unbelievers that try to walk them.
*: Well, there's another advantage to being Lawful for ya.
: Though apparently a Core Shield can negate the traps' effects...
: Wow, that's one foolproof test of faith.

*: Core Shields protect from traps until the next full moon; you can trade them for emeralds at Rag's. I got a stock of Gaian-made Amulets that should work just as well, though.

We find another TV room that announces our victory over Ozawa. Has nothing else of note happened since then?


: Oh, right, I heard about those! They were built by an American company, weren't they?
: However, the Americans directly targeted it, and the shelter took a direct hit by a nuclear missile. Everyone inside it was burnt to a crisp.
: Maybe that one was a Chinese knock-off.


: We'd need a metric asston of these apples, then.
: But one of the Gaians took it and brought it to Ueno. Apparently they intend to feed it to the monster that lives in the sewer -- perhaps they're trying to pacify it?

Hmm, so the Gaians are having monster trouble. Good to know!


: It must be one of the four that we've heard about.
*: It means we must be near the south end of the map.
: The priest said that it's already eaten several people! Oh God, protect me!


: Okay, that sounds like a familiar story set in a new location.
: I hope he's all right, but I fear the worst has happened....


: God needs all the strength he can muster from his followers! Sacrifice your all to his divine glory!

*: The game asks us if we want to keep listening to the sermon. I kind of don't want to miss important information... but sitting here and listening to this sounds like the kind of thing that would make me more Lawful. Hmm...

: Let's get out of here, people. I don't think I can stand that sort of preaching much longer.

Sacrifice, my ass. You stay home and talk. Meanwhile I'll be out there, making sure you don't have to make up the good news you broadcast on TV.

*: An Isora drops Shichiseiken (77/30, +1 Intelligence, 1-2 hits, males only), a weapon so mighty it's borderline erotic. It's twice as powerful as the Plasma Sword, and 50% more accurate, but with only half the number of hits. That said, with the way defense works, instead of hitting 2-4 times for about 40 damage per hit, I hit 1-2 times for about 100 damage per hit. When enemies have low defense, it's more effective to hit more often, but by now having higher raw power is starting to be more and more attractive.

Wow, we step into a trap that deals around 100 damage to everyone who isn't Law-aligned, and that means everyone but Francois and Kei. I could replace someone with Watcher, but screw that, I'll just use an Amulet.

A bit later...



: Before you try anything funny, you should be well aware that I lost a lot of money on account of what your friends did to my friends the other day, so you need to act proper around me or I'll find where your asshole is and pull that snake out through.



>What will you do?
   -Stop it from leaving
   -Leave it alone

: What, that's it? You're just gonna give up? I won't let you get away that easily!
: Who are you? Identify yourself!
: Don'cha know? I'm the baddest O.G. mofo left on this piece of dirt, the one and only F-man!
: W... what?
: just roll wiv it, babe
: ...what?
: Whaat? YOU'RE Francois? What is it you want?

*: One Orb and one Magic Stone later...

: I am Loa. I am at your service!
: How did that even work?
: I'm not sure myself, to be honest.


: Yeah, there's nothing scarier than a big ol' church.
: Indeed, it will serve as a maker for when God descends to Earth and incinerates them all in the holy fire of his wrath.
: That's exactly what we need! More incineration!


: Hey, Francois, is it just me or is this statue not the spitting image of Kaneda!?
: ...huh. It... kinda is, yeah.
: Even if it's just a random coincidence, the similarity is downright uncanny!
: Creepy, more like. He's a good guy, but I'm surprised they'd start to worship a guy who got ganked by a demon.


: Wow. So it really is him.
: Master Kaneda sacrificed his own life to save his friends, and was brought to the foot of God.
: If you put it that way, yeah, he picked a pretty heroic way to punch out.
: And God granted Master Kaneda new life, reviving him as our Messiah!

*: So that's what that dream was about, in the very beginning, with the cross and all. Kaneda's a Christ figure, sacrificing his life to save others, and then returned from the dead. I'm not sure I want to think too much about what that means for Tetsuo.

In other news, things have been going surprisingly well on the combat side. I think I was trying to be too friendly before; I manage to avoid most fights with Lamias, Lakhes, Sawobaks, Chulruks and Raja Naga by being intimidating and standing my ground when they try to intimidate me back, and basically calling their bluffs and showing no fear. The Law demons aren't too hard to kill, and Loa of course now leave me alone. I make so much money from demons trying to appease me that it entirely covers my recent purchases.

A Sawobak drops a Sonic Blade (44/5, hits 1-8 times, +1 Strength, males only). I know what I said about attack power earlier, but 8 hits... that's tempting. I'll give it a try and see how it performs. Now that I have these kickass swords, the single hit Pauza P50 just doesn't look so useful anymore. I think I'll just sell it.

About five tiles before I can complete the map, I run into two Loa on a full moon. Kei manages to silence one, but the other gets a Mudo off and kills Francois and Werewolf. Dammit!

Now either Rosaries don't protect against Mudo, or I'm back to Neutral. Hmm. Either way I'll have to Toraport back to the beginning, so I might as well go outside to check it out.

...I try to use a Rosary after the fight. One is spent, and the message goes "The Rosary is protecting Kei!" So apparently you have to use them beforehand. Whoops!

I kind of want to look ahead to see if those five squares are worth going all the way through Shinagawa again, but now that I can't talk to or summon anyone, that would be borderline suicidal. So it's back to square one. At least I've already checked out all the dead ends along the way, so it won't take as long.

Okay, yeah, the Sonic Blade's low accuracy really works against me. My Speed's not awful, but it's not really high enough to keep me from missing all the time. If I had built my stats another way this would be a different story, but as it is now, the Shichiseiken is just more reliable.

Alright, made it back.





Oooh, okay. So I still have a lot left. There are stairs to the third floor right next to where we come in on the second, but I'll explore first. We start meeting Decarabia and Taraka here.

We step on lots of weird spinny tiles that rotate the way we're facing. I don't see much of a point to those. There are also craploads of pitfalls, which of course suck beyond belief, and teleporters that take you to another place on the floor. It's annoying all around.

That said, one of these teleporters takes me to an unexpected surprise.



...okay, so this is kind of a big deal.

*: The Kusanagi-no-tsurugi has a power of 40, an accuracy of 10, can be equipped by anyone, adds 1 to your Intelligence, and hits the entire enemy party. Daaaaaang. I'm not sure how it fits in my equipment strategy, though, since that's not so hot if you're just trying to kill one guy. Gah, now I regret selling my Pauza. Oh well. I think I'll give the Tsurugi to Kei for a while, see if it's better for her than Raiden's Whip.

...nah, she just doesn't have the Strength to make it worth it; she needs to hit the same target multiple times to be effective, so she keeps her whip.

You know, for such a legendary weapon, it's not in a very secure location.

...wait, no, scratch that, that was the most annoying floor in the universe.

...wait, no, scratch that, that was probably only the most annoying floor I've seen yet.



Dang, what is it with me and great weapons lately? A Raja Naga drops Kuchinawa's Sword (58/8, hits 3-6 times, +1 Strength, anyone can use it). I give it to Kei; it's only slightly less accurate than Raiden's Whip, but much more powerful.

Okay, next to the third floor. Again I find stairs to 4F nearby, but I still want to explore first.

This level has an outer ring of one-way passages, four sealed doors leading inside, and four regular corridors also leading inside. Hmm.

...a Taraka drops Higyosanko (87/5, hits once, +2 Magic, males only). Fortunately I don't need that one.

Turns out three of the corridors are dead-ends. The last one...







: Holy crap, Kaneda! You're like... King Pope or something. Plus, you're alive!
: Through the miracle of God's power, I was brought back to life.
: As a... giant white taco? Man, Christians are weird.
: And he granted me his wisdom, teaching me the ideal of the great Thousand Year Kingdom! If established, the Thousand Year Kindgom will bring peace to the Earth...
: Err, buddy... You weren't with me back then, but the last time time a guy talked to me like that, he nuked Tokyo and then I killed him.
: After learning of the plan, I became resolute in my decision. I will fight for the establishment of the Thousand Year Kingdom, as God's chosen messiah!

Dang. Tetsuo fused with a Worm, and he still didn't feel as changed as Kaneda does right now.

: ...But even with the blessing of God himself, the demons are too numerous. Even I lack the power to defeat them all by myself. Therefore, I have a request of you, Francois.
: Well, you know I'm all about granting requests, so let's hear it.
: The Jaryu Echidna has taken up residence is eastern Tokyo, and I would like you to defeat her. In her unthinkable arrogance, she opposes our divine plan, scheming to destroy the Cathedral and establish a fragmented society of many gods and their followers. Such a society divided against itself cannot stand! We need the people unified under one God! Do you think it is right to let the demons gain any more influence? Think of how many people have already fallen to them. Should they gain power, do you think anything will change from the way it is now?

He's got a point.

: The toll in human lives should Chaos get its "might-makes-right" system in place will be immeasurable. That is why we need God -- he wishes to create a society where humanity will not suffer, will not have to worry about being overtaken by those stronger than them. He will show us the way and give us all the guidance and support we need. Please, join us -- fight with me in the name of God!
: I... suppose I can think about it.

*: The game doesn't ask us an explicit question here. I guess we'll give our answer by killing Echidna or not.

In any case, I still don't know how to open the sealed doors, so I might as well check out the next floor.



The fourth floor is small, but annoying too; it has several teleporters that send us into small rooms with traps and one-way exits.


: Well, yeah. You can see my posse. How perceptive.
: I bet you think your minions are the strongest!
: I-
: But you're wrong about that. How do I know? Because my minions are the strongest! Come on out to play, Sir Nue!
: Nue? Are you for real?



Bitch please.

*: The fight ends predictably.

: Oh, you're pretty good. I'm happy to see that you put up some resistance! OK, next up, it's your turn Sir Sawobak!



*: A little meatier, but no sweat. It could have been tough, but Kei's Maha-Zio neutered them. And they dropped a second Sonic Blade.

: I appear to have underestimated you! No more pulling punches! I shall fight you with all my strength!



Whuh-oh.

*: We're running low on MP. I hope I don't take too long figuring these guys out. I can't pull punches here either.

Fortunately, they quickly reveal themselves to be ice-aligned; they use Bufula, are clearly weak to Hobgob's Maha-Agion and Gozuki's Fireball, and take normal damage from Kei's Maha-Zionga. They have high defense, but can be put to Sleep. Yeah, we're good.

Lv45 Jaki Barbegazi
Barbegazi are Swiss gnomes with long hair and giant feet, which they use to ski barefooted down snowy mountains. Their name comes from the French "barbe glacée", which means "frozen beard". Most of their stats are weak, and their HP is low for their level, but they have decent Strength and high Stamina, providing them with incredibly high physical defense. They know Bufula, Maha-Bufula, and Venom Bite.

: My... My beloved demons... Y-you won't get away with this...!

*: The asshole drops the Four-door Gem. I suppose I can open the doors on the third floor now, but I don't know if I have enough MP to... to...

Huh, Kei levels up, so she gets her MP back. Alright then, we're good to go!



The rest of 4F has a couple of Incenses in the middle. Back to 3F... but I still can't open the doors. Hmm. Oh well.

I Toraport back to the Terminal, go heal up, and sell my extra crap. All-in-all, this wasn't a bad place to loot, with lots of incense and weapon upgrades; we met Kaneda again, found the legendary Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, and learned of a quest.

And I can't forget the greatest reward of them all: we got to shatter the dreams of a Pokémon trainer wannabe. Werewolf, I choose you!

[Brentai]

I like the implication that the vaguely Christian guys apparently went and jacked Japan's greatest treasure from Nagoya after the holocaust.

...and then let some kid with a computer strapped to his wrist go swinging it around everywhere.

[R^2]

Raja Naga's Rakukaja.

Try saying that three times fast.