Sealing the main gates sounds like a smart move, but somehow I can't help but feel like it might have been done to keep me out. I'm not sure how Center could suspect me of anything right now though, unless Samuel had a sudden attack of conscience and decided to act on his own.
*: In any case, we have more pressing concerns. Our inventory is full, and the Center demons are wearing us down at a worrying pace. We need a shop and a healer. The Holytown healer is quite far away, I haven't seen any in Arcadia... but the Factory church should be a bit closer. Let's try there.
Whew, we make it. I get a Terminal save in, and notice neither Center nor Valhalla are in the teleport destinations anymore. I didn't entirely expect otherwise, but I'm still somewhat hopeful that Valhalla has been swallowed up whole and is still floating around in Abbadon's gut somewhere. Of course it's not like these games have been shy about instantly obliterating large amounts of civilians in the past, so who knows.
We go to the mall-type area nearby, and I hit the bar to see if anyone is talking about Valhalla.: I dug up a sign that was labeled "Akihabara" recently. Wonder what it means?
: They say a woman escaped from the holding cells here. Apparently she came from the Center, but I wonder how she managed to break out of her hyp...
:
: Crap, I'd better not say any more or they'll come for me, too!
: Ya know, they say that there's an entire underworld or somethin' under the earth. But ya know, we've been digging and digging and digging and haven't found it. It's gotta be just a rumor... Shit, my head is hurting again! I guess I haven't been drinking enough...
: Yeah, I'm sure that's your problem.
*: We drop by the shops and update Julia's equipment. I get her a M16 Rifle and Nerve Bullets, just like Hawke's, as well as Iron Bunny Ears and an Arm Bridge (which is what Elise had). That takes a big chunk out of our finances, but at least she'll start being of some use in battle.
We've got a bunch of Metal Cards at the moment, so I hit the Code Breaker game here before we go.
Yikes, there are four numbers for 1 to 7 now; the first prize is a Kintan, and the second prize is a mysterious Magma Spear. We only win junky attack items though.
Alright then, let's get back on track. I don't really have any pointers as to where to go, but I see two possible trails to follow.
-Warp to Arcadia and see how Nathan feels about what's been going on.
-Warp to Holytown and try to open a gate to the Abyss with the four dolls.
Yeah, so, Arcadia it is.: Holy crap Nathan, have you heard-
: Do you want to hear my story again?
: W-wha... What?! No! It's bedlam out there! I don't have time for your stories!
: Everything's fine here in Arcadia.
: Well whoopty fucking do!
: I hope the entire world becomes just like it soon!
: Yeah I'm working on that, so you can go back to having your manservants delicately squeeze grapes into your rectum or whatever it is you do in here all day!
: There's clearly something that weighs heavily on your shoulders right now, so I'm going to forget you said that.
: Up yours, then, you lazy-ass good-for-nothing-
: I think we should go.
: I musta hated this guy before, nothing else makes sense.
: Actually, you were best f-
: Don't. Finish. That sentence. Please.
I don't know why I even bothered. I gotta say, opening a gate to Hell just became a lot more attractive.
*: I do revisit Holytown in general, just to see if I can gather any more information. I'd really rather not DooM things up just because that's the only course of action that comes to mind.
A random Alp insisted on joining us in Factory, so I visit the Mansion here.Alp + Kelaino =
Lv27 Youma Haokah
Haokah is the spirit of lightning and thunder in Lakota mythology (as in, the Native American tribe). For whatever reason, his emotions and feelings are reversed: he weeps when he's happy and laughs when he's sad, he shivers in the heat and sweats in the cold. Here he's a relatively fragile mage with alright Strength and Magic. He comes with the logical complement of electric spells, such as the mighty MahaJionga.*: ...Of course! What am I, an idiot?: I shall clear your worries when you have lost your way, and guide you to the correct path.
: I don't care what anyone says, you're the real savior in this town, lady.
: If you wish to be led, pay me 100 Makka.
: Here you are!
: Hmm... Hmmmmm...... The path you must take is becoming clear... I can see...
: Yyyeeesss?
: Go to Holytown...
: And...?
: That's it.
:
: Do you feel enlightened?
: I am in Holytown. Right this moment. And so are you.
: Mmm-hmm.
: But I... That doesn't... A hundred...!
*: Well, at least we know we're kind of on the right path.
We hit the bar, and there's nothing new there, but it does remind me about that tunnel in the Great Church. Who knows, maybe we can get there now.
I check out the jumbotron on the way.: We have some very sad news to report. The elite Temple Knight, Samuel, has betrayed the Center and the city.
: Aw crap! I knew he'd do something stupid!
: Samuel has been spreading totally false rumors about the Center. This is truly a heinous betrayal, and everything he says is a lie. If you see Samuel, please report it to the nearest Temple Knight!
: At least this means...
: ...they haven't caught him yet.
: If I may-
: Shut it. That's an order.
: B-but-
: Are you really gonna start thinking for yourself now? You've seen where it got Samuel. You wanna go there?
: N-no sir!
: Good boy.
: Listen to me, I will expose the true plans if the Center! The Center claims that they want to create a peaceful Thousand Year Kingdom, but that is a world that only a tiny, select few will be permitted to live in! Millenium was created in order to weed out the unfavorables and pick those truly worthy of living in the Thousand Year Kingdom! When the "wheat has been separated from the chaff" successfully, Millenium will have no more purpose, and will be destroyed entirely, along with all those living therein! Look at what happened to the Valhalla Area! The Center had no more use for it, so they made Maou Abbadon swallow it, killing all the innocent citizens living therein! The fate of Valhalla today is the fate of ALL the areas tomorrow! The Center calls our industrial area the "Factory," but in reality it is nothing more than a concentration camp, where people are forced to work against their wills!
: That can't be true!
: What would you do if it was?
: ...
: You were there. You saw it. Come along, or don't.
: ...I'm with you.
: You're smarter than I gave you credit for.
*: It's not too smart of the Millenium News Network to actually broadcast Samuel's speech, but I guess intelligence has never been their strong suit. I suspect this was the flag I needed to trigger to get something to happen, so I revisit the area again.: Is it true that Valhalla was swallowed by Abbadon? I'm so worried about my sister -- she lives there...
: ...
*: In the bar...: What? The Valhalla area disappeared? That's great! I had a massive debt at the casino over there, and fled here to avoid my creditors. Now I don't have to worry about them!
: Well that makes it all worth it, doesn't it?
: The frequency of the earthquakes we've been getting just isn't normal. Something HAS to be up.
*: We've still been getting quakes ever since Valhalla disappeared, so Abbadon may not be responsible.: Finally those Stalker punks got their butts out of the Great Church and freed up the tunnel, but now it's too dangerous to risk going into the underworld!
: Hey, that's-
*: Shhh!: Not that I know of.
: My name is Louis Cypher. Pleased to make your acquaintance...
: I'm Hawke, esquire, messiah-at-large.
: I can't believe those cretins made Abbadon eat Valhalla... they really will stoop to anything to achieve their ends! If I remember correctly though, Abbadon should be in the Underworld... wasn't he?
: That's funny, I didn't leave him there.
*: That was way after the timeline split up.: Man this is confusing.
*: To you, maybe.: If you're looking for him, that might be a good place to check.
: Alright Lou, I will. Thanks for the info.
: special dolls to perform a ritual that would let him into the Abyss. But I hear he accidentally used the Dancing Doll instead of the Sleeping doll, and so his ritual failed.
: Hmm, so there's a sixth-
: Fifth.
: -fifth doll. Right.
*: It looks like we got all the info we needed, then. Let's head to the Great Church again.
...huh?: Holy crap, Sam, you're fearless!
: Why!? I'll tell you why! Because Valhalla was no longer useful to them!
*: I still think it's because they wanted to get rid of Madam.: This is brutality, pure, inhuman brutality! The fate of Valhalla today is the fate of Holytown tomorrow! The other areas of Millenium are merely being manipulated! The only ones that will be allowed to join the Thousand Year Kingdom are those in the Center!
*: The crowd cheers audibly.: Hey, Hawke! Have you been listening to me too?
: It's hard not to, your face is plastered all over the news.
: I've decided to fight the Center and their dirty methods. I'm exposing the true agenda of the Center to the people, trying to encite them to action! By changing their minds and building opposition, we have a chance of stopping them and fixing the system! If things continue the way they are, virtually everyone in Millenium will be cast aside like so much refuse...
: Well, you keep doing that, if you think it'll make a difference.
*: Again I thought Samuel would join us, but he's too busy with his rabble-rousing.: Meanwhile I'll be trying to find Abbadon before it gets peckish again. Best of luck!
*: The trip to the Great Church third floor is remarkably unenventful, though we get like six earthquakes on the way, which is a lot.
We reach the tunnel that used to be blocked by Stalkers, when suddenly...: You
pissant! Do you never learn? Our business in concluded, get out of my face!
*: This time Janus packs a powerful Soundwave move that hits multiple people for 30-40 damage and causes Panic, but I summon Banshee, who has her own Soundwave, and puts him in Panic. He also knows Deka-ja, but I don't actually have any buffs of note to put up. We can't seem to hurt him with firearms, so I get Haokah in the action as well and we wail on him for a while.: Dammit! I lost AGAIN...
: Are you beginning to notice a TREND, you useless buffoon?
>Janus fled with what little energy he had left.
*: We find some Intelligence Incense behind him, and an elevator further inside. It can take us to a small area of the second floor with some Magic Incense, and to the first floor where yet another elevator awaits us.
Yeah, that sounds like the Underworld alright. We're taken all the way down, floor by floor, all the way to the 60th basement.
*: Ha, I figured there'd be more to this Underworld than just the tiny area underneath Factory.