*: 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! )