Part 4: Entry 3/31/10-04

Entry 3/31/10-04

After our trip through Malebolge, we took some time to rest and regroup before moving on to the second door.

RECORD 10- "Preparations"

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*sighhhh*
But seriously... how long is all this gonna take...?

Metis was a bit more enthusiastic than the rest of us, I didn't have the heart to say anything about it.



Don't you think so too, Sister?
You're right.
I know I have to hurry if I want to protect you...
But it'll seem like a shame when all this is over.



My Persona rocks with fire.
Koromaru's is good with darkness skills, and he shrugs off Mudo skills like water off a dog's back.
I know we'll be useful somewhere, so let us know when the time comes@



I guess working out at the gym just isn't like fighting for real... What're you gonna go, y'know?



I can't put my finger on it.
Though it could just be my imagination...
By the way, Junpei-san and Koromaru will be with us from now on, right?
Koromaru's lucky to be so resistant to Mudo. It wipes me out in one hit.



I'm sorry, but just be patient.
I'm examining the documents she's found so far while she looks for more.
We have quite a few of them, so I'm sure we'll turn up something.

Since this was when Koromaru and Junpei rejoined the team, I'll talk about them now.



Junpei uses huge swords in combat, and when he manages to hit can do some ruinous damage.



His Persona is Trismegistus. He's got a powerful mix of fire and physical attacks, though wind will quickly bring him down.



Koromaru attacks with knives held in his mouth, and summons his Persona with a special Evoker built into his collar.



His Persona is Cerberus, able to dish out brutal fire and darkness based attacks but terribly vulnerable if the enemy uses light skills.

After everyone had a good rest, we set out for the second door. Frost had formed the word 'Cocytus' across it.



The Shadows infested this place as well, and once again Fuuka felt a stronger presence below us. As we approached it, the same mysterious presence we'd seen in Malebolge ran by...

RECORD 11- "Great Shadow of Cocytus"

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It seems to have gone down to a lower floor.
I sensed something like this before, too...

Once again, a strong Shadow was waiting for us below. Was the shape summoning them?



Shadow confirmed!
Oh, and over there...!



Oh... it disappeared again.
Well, just concentrate on the enemy before you for now!
...Incoming!

Boss Battle: Brilliant Cyclops
In a lot of ways the Brilliant Cyclops is an even easier fight than the Immortal Gigas and Visceral Mayas we fought in Malebolge. He's armed with Ice and Strike based attacks. Its single most threatening move is Kill Rush, which if you get a bad crit can kill someone in one hit. He's also got Mabufula and Bufudyne, but a little planning can render those pretty unthreatening. Once his health goes down a bit, he'll spend two turns using Summon to call Soul Dancers. The Soul Dancers will use Agidyne and Diarama, but fortunately they're weak against ice. What we want to do then is keep the Soul Dancers locked down while Metis and Junpei focus on the boss and Yukari keeps everyone healed. For this fight I used the Persona Queen Mab. She's resistant to both Fire and Ice, which helps mute the threat of the high-end Bufu and Agi skills that can fly around this fight. I fused her up with Media and Bufula especially for this fight. If you aren't able to get her a Bufu skill for whatever reason, you can put Metis on Knock Down and have her do it. Once the Cyclops dies, we can smash the Dancers with All-Out attacks and quickly end the fight.

I think we're starting to get back up to speed, this one was relatively easy. We pushed on and eventually reached another dead end.

RECORD 12- "The Second Door"

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We'll head over there now. Why don't you see if you can find anything else?

We opened this door, not knowing what might be waiting for us on the other side...





Veteran Officer: Eh, you can go. Looks like a pretty routine accident.
Hey kid, sorry I took so long.
Says here that your name's... Ken Amada, is that right?
Ah, well, geez... Sorry about what happened to your mom.
But she gave her life to save you from the collapse.
......
Veteran Officer: Anyway, I gotta take your statement. You're a witness, after all.
If I told you what happened... would you believe me?
Veteran Officer: Of course I would! Helping people out is our job.



Veteran Officer: ...What?
Around midnight, I got up to use the bathroom... and I heard voices by the door...
I looked and saw this teenager, holding his head and yelling...
Veteran Officer: Wait... you're saying he did it? But the whole house was crushed!
There was this shining kind of horse monster, and it came right out of him!
It roared, and my mom and my house were--!
Veteran Officer: Oh, a monster, huh? Haha... There's no way that actually happened.
Oh, uh... I shouldn't laugh... I know sometimes after a traumatic incident like this, people can--
I'm not lying! And I really saw it!



What...? A car crash...?
Veteran Officer: We've already found the car and what's left of the driver. We just need an account of the accident now.
That's a lie! You're making that up!
Veteran Officer: I know that's what you think, but... it's true.
Officer Outdoors: Sergeant, can you come out here?
Veteran Officer: Be right there!
Wait! I really saw it!
Veteran Officer: I'm sorry for your loss... I have to go, but well... hope things get better.



.....
I can't trust any adults.
So I'll find him myself...

And then the door faded away...



The door's gone...
But the first door didn't disappear. It just opened up to a new place...
Never mind that... That was...
*chuckle* That brings back memories.
I thought of lots of ways to search for the culprit, but I couldn't manage any of them alone.
I kept wondering why the culprit had special powers, and I didn't...
I wonder if that's what led me to start experiencing the Dark Hour since that day...
Ken...
My family must have been the ones who put the "accident" cover-up in place.
...I'm sorry for that.

Akihiko had a very fair question on what we'd just seen.



What was what about...? Oh, I see.
Apparently, events that not everyone was involved in can only be watched. That's something new...
That's not what I meant! Why did we see such a painful memory?
Huh...? How would I know? It's your past.
You'd better not be hiding anything.
How would I benefit from that?
I'm only speculating, but... I think the "door" reflects the mind of those who enter it. It's the same reason we found a place to get supplies, and why we were able to return directly back.
Right now, you wish to erase the Abyss of Time as soon as possible and make it out alive, right?
If so, then although what's inside the doors seems unrelated to our situation, we see it for a reason...
Maybe you should think hard about what the reason might be instead of wasting time accusing me.
What did you say!?



Ken...
Actually, I've been wondering about all of that lately...
Things weren't perfect, but it seemed more straightforward and... pure back then, when I was fighting.
We don't get that kind of passion by just going to school every day.
Sanada-san, you've dedicated yourself to boxing again recently, right?
Isn't that because... you don't want to lose the feeling you used to have?
...Of course, that could just be my own way of seeing it.
......
...Maybe you're right. Maybe I do feel just like I did...
Let's not talk like that.
There's no use bringing up the past...
Don't you remember our entire reason for risking everything?
If we don't keep our eyes forward, it was all a waste of time.
Yukari...
...Let's go.



> ......
> You decided to return to the lounge.



I think I'm done searching for clues.
Yamagishi will pick up the search from here.
From this point on, I'll be joining the main investigation as well.
Everyone's finally together now!
If you need my help, don't hesitate to call me.

With the full team reassembled, we felt we were ready for whatever the Shadows could throw at us...