Part 90: 11/29/09 - 12/01/09: Harabah The Drought (Part Two)
Just three days before the first full moon that presumably doesn't have an Arcana Shadow... Let's see what we can fit into the time we have, then.
Tanaka's actively just ripping us off today, apparently. 90k for a fucking Sigma Drive (and some Mega Protein!) is absurd, especially for something that's not at all worth wasting any money on.
As one of the last things that Tanaka even sells, this is just plain appalling.
No one in the dorm has anything new to say right now, so we'll just go straight to the shrine to hang out with Akinari.
Living With Determination
Oh right... The pink alligator and the bird had become friends, right? This was the alligator's first friend, and he was very happy.
But again, the alligator couldn't catch food easily because of his color... Pink is such an odd color, his prey in the jungle saw him from far away and had plenty of time to escape. He became so hungry that he was dizzy most of the time...
...Of course, he realized his mistake immediately.
...After that, he couldn't bring himself to eat anything. ...That's as far as I've written. I haven't decided on an ending.
It sounds really depressing. Is it really that dark? I dunno... For me, it's hard to tell. The words I use come out from my life, you know? So, they may seem depressing to you... ...but to me, that's just life.
So, before, I mentioned I was writing a diary...
I couldn't face reality... and I was essentially screaming curses into my notebook. But for now, I'm writing a story in the same notebook. It probably isn't very good, but it contains some things that I've learned during my short life...
When it's done, I want you to read it. ...I mean, meeting you is the main reason I started writing it.> Akinari looks into your eyes.
> Your relationship is stronger now!
...I don't have much time to spare. ...Well thanks. I hope we can chat some more later.> You decided to go back to the dorm.
Iwatodai Dorm
No Shadows have appeared yet, but I'm still worried. ...Oh, that reminds me... Ryoji-kun's here again. He's visiting Junpei. Junpei's still pretty down... ...so I'm glad he has a good friend like Ryoji-kun.This seems like a potentially bad thing, but it probably isn't that big a deal overall. It is nice for those dorks, though!
Koromaru-san has no idea, either...
> Koromaru seems to be barking about something.
This isn't about that, Koromaru-san... It has nothing to do with liking him or disliking him. There is just something about him...
Oh no! Looks like Featherman R is rapidly approaching its final arc! We really need to catch an actual episode soon, now.
Newscaster: ...And now, the news. Tension is still high over the Apathy Syndrome, since the causes are still undetermined...
Junpei and Ryoji are on the 2nd floor, but they got around showing the latter by claiming he's in Junpei's room. Sure.
...but he's not gonna stay long, so call me if you're goin' to Tartarus. 
Hmm, what should I get him...?Pretty obvious from where I'm standing: Cielo Mist. Gotta get that refreshing Jamaican flavour!
The Voice Someone Calls
Anyway, we'll be going to Tartarus tonight for sure and for the first time in a while, Koromaru's getting a rest. He's sure earned it, at least.
tartarus_0d05
So, Fuuka's right this time around. From floor 181 on up, we DO get some new Shadows! The Red Shadows are the same as before, though, but that's consistent with previous blocks so I can't really complain.
And, yeah, Junpei's sporting the Balmung (which pushes him up to over 500HP...) and Makoto's got the Gungnir. One day we'll get to make unique weapons for other people, but that day is not today.
Mass Destruction / Wiping All Out
So, new Shadows! Gracious Cupids are the lowest level dudes around (aside from the Luxury Hands but they don't count). They're... kinda eh, but most Shadows are, really. Mediarama and Marakukaja seem like they should make these things annoying but Thor has Vicious Strike and that does ~400 damage to all of 'em so it's a non-issue. If they DO get turns, they don't, then I'd be more worried about that Marin Karin anyway.
They drop Pink Feathers which is what Elizabeth's last request for this stretch of Tartarus is for. She wants 6 of these things, which sounds annoying but fortunately Cupids are common and often come in groups that can cap out at 5.
Immoral Snakes try an interesting tactic of being weak to more people than normal. We have more folks that can use Pierce elemental attacks than any other Phys element, which is... a decision, I guess. Also they're weak to all flavours of Instant Death too which is cute but kinda superfluous.
While Immoral Snakes were interesting in their incompetence, Battle Wheels... sure do exist, I guess. Heat Wave is outdated Strike damage, Agidyne is a thing that more party members can no sell than anything else (thanks to Trismegistus) and Eerie Sound... inflicts Distress. The most boring Ailment.
Hell Knights are probably the most common regular Shadow in the area, aside from the Cupids. They're also the closest thus far to being a threat. This, of course, is predicated on them ever getting turns which is still not a likely prospect. Even with just (Ma)Garula, the Vayu Bracer allows Yukari to almost one-shot them from full health. Whoops.
Red Sigils employ a tactic that makes them annoying on paper, but really doesn't matter here in practice. Dodge Ice is meant to counteract their Ice weakness and make you waste turns trying to hit 'em with it. Unfortunately, they usually come all on their lonesome, so I just
...Power Castles. Power Castles please. They're the rarest thing in the block in my experience (I got a few more Luxury Hands and only one fight with these guys). They, uh, have 15 SP and 2 spells they cannot ever use. Deathbound IS dangerous, in general, but since they'll drop before getting to use it, it's a non-issue.
And lastly we have a Jotun of Blood who seems to have sneaked into this area from higher up in the tower. But he's not a red Shadow. so he's just sorta hanging out here. I dunno. He's weak to Curse and has no other resistances, which I guess counters his high HP but not really. That he has Infuriate is a silly decision on his part if he ever uses it.
tartarus_0d05
That's it for new Shadows. While heading on up, we find some new armour that is technically an upgrade. It's got the highest Defense stat out of everything we currently have on-hand.
Unfortunately, it's not a cosmetic item so at this point it's basically just vendor trash.
Fuuka even manages to find the boss a little earlier than normal for once. It does take her until the 185th to figure out where it is, but that counts as an improvement in my book.
Speaking of which, there's nothing else of note that happens until we hit the boss' floor. Just gonna hand Elizabeth these feathers and grab that free full heal.
The Poem For Everyone's Soul
They'd make adorable wings, don't you think? I'll take good care of them. Please accept your reward.
Not even a weird attempt at explaining anything this time around. I dunno. Yet Another Berserker's Seal is kinda nice, I guess. Maybe.
Let's just go dunk on the boss real quick, before I forget.
Hermit Phantom King (Portable)portable video is very slightly longer because he got a HP buff there
Master of Tartarus / Danger Zone
No, Fuuka. It's really, really not.
The Phantom King is a fucking joke loser who gets dunked on by any and every possible party composition. He tries to inflict Fear, via either Evil Smile or Evil Touch.
He also has Expel instant death in both Single and Multi-Target varieties. A bunch of things online sometimes claim he has Mudoon stuff too, but he doesn't.
That aside, he has a whole one other trick he can use to attack. He'll cast Mind Charge...
And follow it up with a Megido. Really?
Really?
Phantom King, buddy, pal. Let me show you what I can do to you here. Tarukaja + Rakunda + Power Charge + Great means that Vorpal Blade...
...Nearly does 75% of his max HP in a single hit. Yep, that sure is a fight I guess.
The Phantom King is a boring loser. He has 2500 HP, 500 SP, 25 Strength, 57 Magic (...yes, really), 36 Endurance, 35 Agility and 35 Luck. He has, uh, no elemental resistances. Technically. He nulls Light/Dark like normal, but that's it.
End tartarus_0d05
I dunno what it is with Tartarus bosses lately not even trying to pretend to be threats, but uh... that sure is an odd recurring pattern. Remember when it seemed like Tartarus was gonna be where more challenging fights were, because the Full Moon shadows had to be relatively easy to account for Tartarus being strictly optional? What happened to that?
Anyway, we're done with Harabah for today. Not going higher than 190 because there is no barrier between the first and second halves this time around. If we go to 191, we just start the second stretch then and there.
Changing Seasons (Reincarnation) / Sun
She was written to be the ideal woman of the Heian period... The quintessetinal Heian beauty. Speaking of Heian beauty... Here's a question for you, Makoto. The chief criteria for a Heian beauty was the length of a woman's hair, though cosmetics were important too. They used white makeup, plucked their eyebrows in favor of drawn-on ones, and colored their teeth with limonite. But do you think the men did these things?
They did both. Hmph... I suppose it was an easy question. It was a unified style. Whether man or woman, every adult sported this fashion. Even though the white powder was lead-based and unhealthy, they wore it to uphold their standards of beauty. Compared to them, you guys are...Aaaaand here's where the lesson, mercifully, ends so we get spared from Ekoda's weird and possibly inappropriate old man rant here.
This is not good. ......
I hope she's not going to embarrass me again.Right, well, Monday is a pretty awkward day for us right now. Despite not being a holiday, there's still very few people even available any more.
So, uh, congrats on being winner by default here, Mamoru!
Joy
Are you okay?
*pant* Yeah, just... *gasp* need more training.
*pant* Let's go in, yeah? I'm thirsty!One quick fade to blue later...
I used to come here a lot with my teammates, but... We should come here again. Ha ha. You're the only one who says that anymore.
They wouldn't come now, even if I invited them. I don't really get along with people who don't take the club seriously. It jacks up practice, you know? It's a lack of concentration.> Mamoru seems a little sad.
> Mamoru seems to be pondering something intently.
I used to love it there, you know? I spent all my time practicing in the Kendo Team... Everyone else in the Kendo Team and I always had so much fun.
I'll just have to surpass them. ...Get even better than I am now.> You can sense Mamoru is passionate about his club.
> Your relationship is stronger now!
Bit of an understatement, that.
I think I'll power-walk the whole way home. Don't let yourself get lazy now!> Mamoru began power-walking home...
> You decided to go back to the dorm.
And hey, stop freaking out about your exams. I didn't study either. *sigh* But then again, you never do...
You know, I'm here a lot, but I hardly ever run into you. Strange, huh? Not really. We don't spend that much time in the dorm.
Oh well, I'm outta here. See ya later.
Yeah, he said he was going home. What was he doing here? He's been coming here a lot, ever since he started hanging around with Junpei. But, visitors aren't allowed here... Yeah, but Mitsuru-senpai said that it's okay during the day.
I don't think we need to worry about Ryoji-kun.
Who? Ryoji-kun?
Come to think of it, he WAS hitting on Mitsuru-senpai the first time he met her.And, uh, every other girl for good measure.
He was...?
...But, having him around has really cheered up Junpei-kun.
That's true... 
I envy you, Junpei... 
...But, you don't seem that different. However, it is more accurate to say that I am "functioning" as opposed to living. There are times when I malfunction, but I can always be repaired...
Uh, sorry... Hey, I don't have time to talk. I seriously gotta go study... Hey, shouldn't you guys be studying too? I heard math's gonna be a killer.Eh, no need. We're already considered a Genius, so we can probably smash it.
...You wait until NOW to tell us that!? Well, I guess we should call it a night then...
A "living" weapon is difficult to operate... However, I believe I understand the concept of loss... Should you ever be harmed, I... Don't worry about me. ...I'll try not to.
I do not know why, but I always want to be by your side... 
I want to protect you... I apologize for interrupting you... I will leave you to your studies. ...Good night. Troubled
What is this uneasiness...? I am a machine... I cannot die, so they won't have to grieve for me. I must do something... I don't want them to suffer anymore...Well, that was weird. Guess we know rather clearly whose character arc is gonna be next, though!
...What also doesn't hurt is that there's no one else left. But, y'know, details.
Iwatodai Dorm
I agree that he's a bit strange, but I think he's okay.
Today's subject is a lady in her 30s with a beauty spot under her eye.
...Next is the news. Apathy Syndrome, go away!
Ulala Serizawa is a minor character in Persona 2: Innocent Sin and a playable character in Eternal Punishment. She's friends with Maya but also incredibly, blatantly jealous of her to the point where right at the start she decides, in a drunken stupor, to call JOKER (not to be mistaken with Master Joker) about Maya.
Her Primary Arcana is The Star, and her initial Persona is Callisto, a Greek nymph of Artemis who ended up encountering Zeus'... more Zeus-like qualities.
Anyway, Aigis and Koromaru are up on the second floor.
Things are fine for now, but one day that will change. Please do not worry, though. I will be there to protect you.
> He looks worried.
I will be fine, Koromaru-san.Everyone else has squirreled away to study for exams that apparently are coming up in December. That means we can't go to Tartarus today, which is kind of a mean trick considering today is this month's deadline for stuff that has that. Good thing we dodged that one!
Silence
But before today ends altogether, we've got one last optional cutscene. This is one we could miss by either ignoring Junpei or being a dick to him. We did neither, and so...
...We get a scene of Mitsuru calling someone.
It's me. I'm sorry for calling so late.
As for what to do with the new arrival... I would like to ask... that you perform a full autopsy. If we find any distinguishing features, we may be able to locate her family, and...
Because of this... I think it would be disrespectful to the deceased to cover up her death... I will, of course, take full responsibility--
......
...... But judging by the postmortem, we were certain she was... Understood. I'm sorry, but this must be kept strictly confidential until we know more. If there are any other changes... Yes, absolutely. Well then...
I really feel like that should be my line here.
We'll have to wait and see what happens for now...
And so on that bizarrely enigmatic note, November comes to a close. Sure.
Changing Seasons (Reincarnation) / Sun
He's prolly sick or somethin'. It's been cold lately. Or, maybe he met a hot chick on the way to school and decided to go out with her. That guy does stuff like that without even thinking about it. ......Aigis summing up my thoughts on Junpei's idea here really well, I see.
Anyway, today is Tuesday so let's spend even more time with Mitsuru. This can't possibly backfire.
Joy
Well, it makes sense... An entire octopus would be too much food for one person. *sigh* Sometimes I'm amazed at my ignorance of the world...> Mitsuru seems dejected.
You pay. I will have one takoyaki, please. ...What? Takoyaki isn't sold in individual pieces? So, I can buy a dozen at this price!?
One fade to blue later...
Mmm... It tastes slightly sour.... Are there other ingredients in addition to the octopus? Well, whatever they may be, they taste absolutely delicious... C'est tres bon!> Mitsuru has discovered how delicious takoyaki tastes...
> Your relationship with her has grown.
I'm not seeing the connection here, but sure. I'll take it.
...... Don't you think Akihiko has been acting differently lately? I don't mean to be rude, it's just that I've known him for such a long time... Perhaps he's just maturing... Does that make you happy?
...Of course that makes me happy. With all we've been through, it can be difficult to get over our pasts.
I'm very impressed by him.
When I look at Akihiko, I'm reminded of so many things about myself. I can't explain why, though... Maybe you're anxious. Anxiety...? Hm, maybe so...
Perhaps I feel pressed for time because I'm the only one of us who isn't growing... ...Let's just forget about this. *sigh* I don't even know what I'm talking about. Sorry for subjecting you to my incoherent ramblings... Please forget what I just said. Sure. Thank you.
The takoyaki was absolutely delicious. We should eat here again sometime.> After saying goodbye to Mitsuru, you decided to return to the dorm.
Iwatodai Dorm
But, we don't have any Shadows to kill. Man, this sucks... I heard Ryoji's not feeling good. Maybe he's been studying too much... Haha! Nah, that can't be it.Good to see that Junpei believes in his friends.
...her words really touched me.
She seems to have something on her mind. What do you think, Makoto-kun? I agree. I wonder what happened to her...
Do you think it's because they just don't get along? Yeah. It's probably because he's always flirting. To be honest, I don't really like him that much either.
...but make sure you don't tire yourself out.Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Exams aren't until the 14th and we've long since maxed our Academics.
Do you think I influenced her somehow?
That guy's got a lot of guts.
So, um... please do your best on your exams.Aigis is... hiding over by the stairs today. That sure is a different place to be hanging out. Makes her surprisingly easy to miss.
Well, tomorrow's a full moon, and who even knows what's gonna happen then! Quite possibly nothing of importance, since all the Arcana Shadows have been killed and all. We'll find out what it's gonna be soon enough, though...