Part 2: Ritual of Battle

Update 02:



Brian Blessed won. That is what Raidou the 14th's name shall be now.




"We have borne witness to your loyalty to the clan, Brian Blessed.
Judging by the ferocity of your declaration, you should have no difficulty performing your duties.
We look forward to seeing what you will accomplish, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th..."




"The time has come to assign you a new mission. Listen well.
We of the Kuzunoha clan have worked to ensure this country's peace since the Heian era.
Our duty continues into the current Taisho era, in which we work to ensure our nation's prosperity.
As agents of the Yatagarasu, we work to protect the country's tranquility. Our orders from the Yatagarasu are now to defeat any demons that would harm the hearts of the people.
Without a peaceful populace, the country has no hope of remaining prosperous...
For the good of this country, you must destroy the demons who seek to upset that peace. This is the sacred trust given to the Kuzunoha clan!

That concludesthe preliminary portion of this meeting, Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. Now the examination shall begin...
with the Ritual of Battle.
"





"We shall soon see whether you have kept up with your daily training or not. The Ritual of Battle is a serious affair. A young Kuzunoha such as yourself will need a mentor...
We have prepared such an assistant for this ritual.

Come forth, Gouto-douji."




Oh my! He is alive again!




"We meet again, hmmm? Must be fate for us to work together. You remember me, I'm sure.. I'm your old Gouto-douji. Sounds a little formal, though... I think I'd prefer if you just called me Gouto from now on.
You don't mind if I call you Brian, do you? Good.
So, Brian...
I'm in this cat body now, but I'm a Kuzunoha too... You might call me your predecessor. They told me to be your mentor... We'll be side by side for this one again. Consider yourself lucky."




"Alright... Well, good to know. It's funny... Looking at you brings back so many memories. Like when we fell through a time slip thanks to the Dark Summoner Rasputin's spell...
Or the time I went to space in a rocket. I sacrificed myself to destroy the Tai-itsu, remember?
But maybe I was gabbing too much before... I'll think about it.
From now on, I'll be watching over you. Looking forward to working together again, Brian."




"Let us observe the two of you working in tandem, On to the Ritual of Battle..."


"Let's go, Brian... Follow my lead."





"Here in the hall, we keep demons that are under our control. When you proceed forward, you will encounter these demons. You must defeat them using the skills you have learned. Go forth until you defeat the final demon at the end of the hall.
Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th and Gouto-Douji... Though we consider this an exercise, the demons will use their full power t oend your lives. You must act as you would in a true battle.
Demonstrate your skill for us..."

"This is much better than listening to those lectures. I always did like this part of progress exams best...
Alright, Brian. This is pretty simple: The demons are up ahead, and you have to fight 'em.
If you need hints, I'm here to help. Bask in your good luck at having me by your side.

Remember, the goal is to get to the other end of the hall and reach that final demon.
Let's get this Ritual started, Brian!"




And what better way to start it than going directly into the fray? No other way to do it! No sir.




"Let's see if you have kept your sword-fighting skills sharp."




"Just give it a whirl in combat to get your feet wet. "




"Go for it, Brian!"








Koropokkur will get his bio and information when it is met as a random encounter. Or summoned. Whatever happens first. Same with the rest of the demons encountered in this update.



After slicing them for a bit (originally was going to be shown in video, but I messed up, no big loss, the moves and gameplay will be seen EVENTUALLY)


Regular slashes can be combo-ed nicely.



And here is the sword-type's special attack, a vast flurry of slashes are applied to the enemy. Many swords have special effects with this.




It kind of looks like the Crissaegrim in motion.





"Let us proceed to the next test."




"Now let's see if you can remember which one your trigger finger is."





And after that, we see what they are putting us against.





"Stay focused, Brian!"





Oh, it is a lowly fairy.




Equippable elemental bullets are gone. They are replaced with DEMON skills, though.




Not readily apparent, but the oint there went to Luck. What else?





"A lowly demon like that should pose no problem for you. Let us proceed to the next test. This opponent will not be as easy..."

"I'm glad to see you still know your way around a firearm, Brian. But how are you at defending yourself? You have serious responsibilities as a Kuzunoha, and it's hard to carry them out if you are dead. So always keep the basics of defense in mind while fighting.
If you see an attack coming your way, the best thing to do is to block or dodge. C'mon Brian... Time for the next test!"




Oh boy, Ichimokuren. That USED to be a boss.




It telegraphs Wind Cutter. That ALSO used to be a boss attack. Now it is very easy.






"I am the Skill-order demon known as Tam Lin. I am here to assist you during these examinations. I am your ally... A demon at your disposal."

"He'll help us get used to the whole "devil summoning" part of the job. From here on out, as your title of Devil Summoner usggests, you'll be commanding demons."





"Or rather, I would... But I'm unsure you can truly take advantage of my power to the fullest. I shall judge for myself in battle."
No, that doesn't mean fighting him.





"If you don't give your demons specific commands, they'll just use Strike attacks. But they can do much more than that. Take advantage of their skills to end battles quickly."




Oh no! Stone giant!






Fortunately, Oumitsunu is weak against fire, and Tam Lin's (very expensive) only current skill happens to be Fire aligned.




It is also a useful Area of Effect one.



It one-shots Oumitsunu.





Ayuup.




"I must tell you something before our next battle. For we demons to use our abilities requires a portion of your MAG. It is part of the contract between Devil Summoners and their demons."

"I've heard it called Magnetite too, but that makes sense. Oh, I should tell you before we go too far, Brian... Here are the ins and outs of MAG. When either you or your demons use powerful skills, you use up some MAG.
If you run out of MAG you'll be facing big problems in battle. If your MAG is depleted, you can drain some MAG from your enemies.
Running out of MAG is bad news for a Devil Summoner, but ig you're too stingy with your MAG, you'll find yourself having problems in battle. By striking your enemies' weak spots, you can drain their MAG and use as many demon skills as you want."




"The next foe is about to arrive. Are you ready?"

"He's right... I do sense a hostile presence closing in... This time they're going to try and swarm us... Cute."







Cute indeed! It is a bunch of Jack Frosts!







Fire Slash is EXTREMELY good for this kind of situation.




Since they were stunned by that, they are not one-shotted. No, they are stunned and will receive hits before keeling over.



Every hit given in that state is a critical hit, so if the first attack doesn't kill them, the followups are LIKELY to do so. Or at least be useful. The enemies give extra MAG when hit while stunned.



Ah, details. Slashing a Jack Frost leaves white snowblood.











Jin Dan is used to revive a demon when it dies.



"For this battle, I'll teach you a new summoning technique. It puts a lot of stress on the summoner, so it's not used very often, but ... It allows you to summon two demons at once. You'll feel the strain, but the results speak for themselves. I think you're ready for it.
So, I'll unlock the dual summoning spell for you, Brian. But it won't do much good without a second demon to command. Good thing for you we've already taken care of that. Your new demon should be here in a second. Smile, won't you?
We got a real beauty for you...
"





Since Raidou is neither Samson nor Adon (and why would he want to be like thek? They lack AWESOME HATS.), this is likely an apropriate response.
That being said, who knows.



"You'd say that to my face, would you? That sort of honesty is refreshing."




"I see...
Well, it doesn't really matter if you choose your demons based on their strength or their looks... What matters is if you know how to command them."






"Are you the summoner I'm supposed to help out?"

"Brian! It's here!"








"Well, I had my eyes on the human anyways. "


"If you ditch these two, I'll be more than just your demon... I'll be your personal companion. I'll use my charms to keep you close 'til the day you die...
Closer, my dear..."









"My name is Alraune. I'm a Frost-order demon. Now I'm cross... Hmph. Having a man taken right from under me... Oh well... I'm not really into younger men, but... I'll be yours, just this once."




"I thought I could finally catch myself a good man... Heeheehee...
You know I'm the last test you'll face here, right? At first I thought I'd go easy on you... But I've changed my mind.
I've really fallen for you.. .And there's no way I'm letting you out of my lair! You're mine, all mine!"




"If things get hairy, Mr. Summoner--and looking at her, I don't see how they couldn't--ask me to heal you. I'll patch up any nasty bruises she gives you."



"I've come to quite enjoy fighting by your side."





"Remember everything you showed me in the other battles and send this last demon packing!"




And things do get hairy. Mainly because for some reason I was getting A LOT of dropped frames, which made things a bit harder than they should be. Nothing too serious, though.





Jourugumo happens to be weak against Electricity, and Tam Lin just learnt Zio. That is good.




Fire Slash is not exactly useful against her, though.




Alraune happens to know the most basic of healing spells, Dia. It'll come in handy. Debate is her conversation skill, but in the update we won't see negotiation at all.



Medicine is still the weakest and cheapest of the healing items. Useful, if you don't have anything better.









Ayup.






Eventually, Alraune dies, due to my stupidness.



Jourugumo doesn't take much time after that to fall as well.








Victory!



Seeing a trend?



"You managed to beat Jorougumo without falling for her trick. I'm proud to have you as the next generation of Raidou. Here in the Ritual of Battle, you used the demons we prepared... But in the real world you'll have to use the demons you recruit yourself.
But we can talk more about that later..."




"This is where we part ways. I was only to aid you through the Ritual of Battle, so..."




"Maybe I could stay with you? Just for a little while? Maybe not...
Though our time together was short, I was impressed by your resolve. I look forward to serving under you again.
"








"Whether it's through negotiation or fusion, I might be yours again sometime. Keep an eye out for me, okay? Remember, the name's Alraune... Come see me again."






"Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th and Gouto-Douji... Return to us."







"We have observed your countless acts of valor.
Gouto-Douji..."

"Listening."




"I'm not used to such high praise, but sure... I'll take it."




"We have a message from the Yatagarasu to impart to you. Our orders are to send a Kuzunoha to assist in the protection of a certain area of the country. Currently they request a Kuzunoha in the Capital to assume responsibility for its safety."
"The Capital..."




"We may have relieved you of your current post as the Capital's protector, however... Your mastery of two demons at once and your performance in the Ritual shows that we need not worry. Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th... Gouto-Douji...
As members of the Kuzunoha clan, your orders are to resume your duty as the Capital's protectors. "

"The Capital, huh? The mosti mportant place in the country... THat's the kind of assignment I like."




"If there is no further business to discuss, we will draw this meeting to a close. Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th... Gouto-Douji...
Let the ritual of ending commence. Perform the ceremonial clapping.
Lend us your hands..."




Gouto can't clap! Cats can't clap!




"ryohhhh...!"




A single clap.


"The meeting dictated by Kuzunoha tradition is at an end."







CHOICES: WHAT should the next few level ups be focused into?

ALSO: This game has an alignment system. That is not important at the moment, but it shall be later. Yes.