Part 5: I'm talking 'bout you, and you, and you; You're an asshole too

~Update 4: I'm talking 'bout you, and you, and you; You're an asshole too~

In our last update, Wake got to know the girls that would be fighting alongside him inside the death mazes that no-one else has ventured into. He also welcomed some new Star Children into the world, but we won't be meeting them just yet.

Our first foray into a Dusk Circle is right around the corner. We just need to check on a few minor loose threads before we set off.

-Downtown-



I need to get that sorted out and I don't have much time to do it.

-Laboratory-



There's a battle simulator here, right? That one I used during the Qualifying Exam? Please tell me I didn't break it when you guys took that Ether reading a few days ago.

Oh, it survived. No need to worry. Planning on doing some training, are you?

That's a good idea. Allow me to introduce you to the simulator again.

-Redux-



We call it Renda for short.

Is it customize-able? I'm going to be working with some...varying skill levels.

Oh, yes. The Renda is programmed with a variety of combat scenarios. Its data contains all the monsters and Dusk Circles that we have investigated.

Perfect. There must be a ton of options to choose from then.

*clears throat* Ah, yes. Of course.

What was that for? You said it has data from all the monsters and Dusk Circles you've investigated.

Oh, don't mind me. I'm just thinking--

It only has a basic training dungeon, doesn't it?

I'm afraid so. If you recall, the entire reason you are so coveted is because you are able to enter and fight inside the Dusk Circles. We...don't have that ability, so our data is limited. We will have to gather it from you in order to truly expand Redux.

Yeah... I guess I should have expected that.

It also has combat models of all the female Disciples that can go into combat with you. That's what makes it possible to experience a very realistic mock battle within it.

That will be helpful later on when I'm training myself and the kids, but not so much right now. The girls need some basic training, so they'll have to go into Redux with me.

I understand.

Elite-level Disciples are given free access to the combat simulations. This is your personal activation key card. Now you can use Renda whenever you want to. Make sure you don't lose it.

What the hell is a 'Renda'?

Redux.

...

We'll call it Redux from now on.

Good. I see Ruby passed along the memo.

The interiors of the Dusk Circles are like Labyrinths. The geomagnetic fields within the Circles are unstable, and change at a whim. Renda recreates that feeling of randomness quite faithfully as well.

Dungeons are randomized every time. I want everyone to pause and take special notice of that first part right there, in a story context.

But, seeing is believing. You should try experiencing all this for yourself.

Trust me, I intend to.

Your Star God abilities are a rare gift indeed. You can create an Ether Field sufficient for battle, even in a world with no Ether.

But, we've calculated the Star Energy used by an S Rank Disciple and Star Children... Unfortunately, it seems you're limited to taking only one girl into a Labyrinth.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Thus, we've made it so that the simulator only allows for one female to join you.

Great. So I have to train them individually instead of a group. Thanks for not breaking the immersion Mark.

I knew you would appreciate that.

I was being sarcastic.

I know, and I was ignoring your inflection.

The training facility only let's you explore Labyrinths you've already cleared. Since we haven't cleared any yet, that means the only thing the training facility has available is the Tutorial Dungeon, and I MEAN Tutorial Dungeon. It has tutorial cards that pop up to nag you, it sticks you on rails, all that jazz.

Honestly, this scene is kinda stupid. This is like someone telling a basketball player that they've got a training center set up for them to get ready for their first professional game, then the door opens to reveal one of those mini-hoops that sticks to your bedroom wall/door.

-Laboratory-

Wake sleepwalks through it just to humor Mark.



I poked one of those bat monsters with my foot and it died, Mark. Is there no way to crank the difficulty up a smidge?

Ah, God's Gift. Have you come to see me?

What do you know, you can be funny sometimes.

He's here to train. I already gave him a key to Renda.

...

I mean, Redux.

...

That's good. Make sure you treat Renda well.

I promise to treat Redux well. No clue what this Renda thing you're talking about is.

Right... the interchangeable terminology complaint.

Right. Anyway, I need to make a stop at the store. Have fun doing whatever it is you do.

Oh, yes, perfect timing. I was thinking of getting this to you.



It's the Vis-o-matic, a communication tool for the God's Gift... Mark named it. Mark, make sure you teach him how to use it.

This better not be some kind of tracking collar.

Wake, do you still have time?

As long as we can walk and talk, then yeah.

Well, let's get going. Time to have some fun shopping.

-Shop-



We plan on developing even more from now on and having them sold here.

What's with these prices? What kind of currency is "GP"?

Crap, this isn't the Gold Saucer is it?

You can't buy the products here with money. That's where this "Vis-o-matic" comes in. The Vis-o-matic has communication functions, a database, and GP awards.

So then GP is just some form of AngelMarker fun bucks?

GP is short for "Glow Points." The Vis-o-matic will be constantly monitoring you within Dusk Circles. When you defeat monsters, it measures your performances in the battle. It then runs it through some algorithms and awards you with these Glow Points. Your GP total is then saved and updated when you make it back to the store. The stronger the monsters you defeat, the more GP you will be awarded.

I think that should be obvious, really... But you use that GP to shop at this store...

*Chlotz outta nowhere*



When did you get here? Never mind, you do have a point there Chlotz. Mark, not that I don't love the idea of getting paid to kill monsters, but you do realize that if I die then the rest of you are boned, right?

Nothing good can come when a man's grasp exceeds his means. That's why we use this merit system to balance things out.

And that fortune cookie wisdom is just fine for regular Disciples, but I sort of have a lot more on my plate than they do. Is AngelMarker seriously going to look humanity's prophesied savior and say "Sorry, you can't have the Dusk Circle Decimator. You're 50 glow short"?

Most certainly.

(Fuck you AngelMarker.)

That gadget is pretty cool, though.

You'll eventually be supplied with a version of the Vis-o-matic for Disciples.

Seriously? Yes!

You realize that means you need to go and kill monsters to be able to afford anything, right?

Ooohhh...crap.

By the way, the video feed sent through the Vis-o-matic is given to us in real-time. When you're in the Labyrinth, we plan to monitor that video feed. Chief Ruby will do it most of the time. Well, that explains the Vis-o-matic.

It is a tracking collar!

I never implied it wasn't.

Bastard. Whatever, as long as it's only in the Labyrinth. I catch Ruby spying on me in the shower and this thing's next video feed will be the inside of a monster's stomach.

Anyway, what are you doing here Chlotz?

I was told the mass-produced Dusk Breakers were being given out at the shop.

Welp, see you later!

*Chlotz leaves*

Your friend is able to be so cheerful, even at times like these. I envy him.

That makes one of us. Hm? What's this thing doing?

Looks like the time's come to use it. Touch the screen to answer it.



It feels like a nanny is shackled to my wrist.

I'm glad to hear that. I have some good news for you. The government has approved of our plan to move into the Dusk Circle. I'm sorry to ask this of you so suddenly, but can you come back to the lab?

I was hoping to get training time in with the girls, but fine. Might as well just suck it up and get this over with.

-Laboratory-



We have been given our marching orders by the government. God's Gift and the Disciples supporting him have permission to enter the Dusk Circles.

So happy about that.

However, when you are within the Circles...



Isn't that so, Mattero?

That... is the case.

From here on out, you will be receiving directions from her and her team.

Can't say I'm excited for that, but if she is an expert on Dusk Circles then at least I'll have solid intel to rely on. Better to take whatever precautions we can.

Still, I'm surprised at how quickly we received approval for the plan.

I'm sure they were getting impatient too. They've been waiting twenty years for this moment, after all.

...Still, we can't push our luck in there. We'll begin by testing the waters.

Awful lot of 'we' being thrown around here.



The Circle Seeds... the ones that haven't turned into Labyrinths yet... As long as they don't turn into Labyrinths, there's no danger of monsters coming out?

Yes. The Circle Seeds are Circles that haven't become active. There are five Circle Seeds that can be ignored for now.



There was a report that the other Circle Seeds could become active within 9 months. The overall density of Dusk Energy in the world is supposedly on the rise.

I-Is that so?

Here's an interesting little bit of info hidden away in the Database about Dusk:



Notice anything interesting there? Dusk is one of the six elements that make up this world. Specifically, it's where humans get their desires. That sounds like a negative thing at first, what with it being linked to the Dark element of this game. However, what is quite possibly the strongest of human desires? Living.

Seems there's a little bit of a feedback loop happening. Monsters start getting more threatening -> people get more scared of being killed by monsters -> the desire to not get killed by monsters grows -> Dusk Energy rises -> monsters get stronger/more numerous, and it all comes back around. It's like the Circle of Life, except it carries them all straight to hell on the backs of nightmare creatures.

I'm sure there are other factors at work here of course. There are a lot of human desires after all. There's also the question of what caused the monster threat to surge in the first place, and how the Dusk Circles started springing up out of nowhere.

Let me mention this, while we're at it.

Data suggests that for a Dusk Circle to gather enough energy to become a Labyrinth, a vast amount of Dusk Energy must be absorbed from the surrounding area.

And when I say "surrounding area," I mean from this world.

That's probably not a good thing...



I'm not sure what all that means.

Simply put, the worse the Circle, the more time it will take for it to become active.

Here's how this game handwaves the dungeons/enemies getting progressively harder over time.

I don't see how that's something to smile about Chloe. Depending on how these things are spread out, doesn't that mean they're all on track to line up in one horrifying chain?

If the other Circles all become active at once, what are we to do?

Everyone, let's all focus on the task at hand before worrying about possibilities. Currently, there are only two Circles that have become active. This time, we'll move into the smaller of the Circles. Remember, this is only to test the waters. Don't spend too long in there.

That part is up to the monsters as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, and you don't need to depart for the Dusk Circle immediately. Once you're ready, come back to the lab and speak with me.

We're on a short leash here, Ruby. I wanted time to train with everyone, but I also need a first-hand look at what I'm going to be dealing with. Fuuko, can you take about half an hour to get focused, and then meet me back here with the star kids?

M-Me!?

Sorry, but I've fought with you the most so far. I know more about how you fight.

Well... Okay! I'll do my best!

It's go time. Four updates in and it's finally time for the Big Ol' Battle Breakdown that will largely signify the training wheels mercifully coming off. Let's head back to the lab and get this pain train rolling.

-Laboratory-

Hello, Wake. If you're ready to go, shall I call for the Chief?

Let's rip this bandage off.

Alright, I'll go get her. Wait here for a moment.

-Station-



We're all counting on you, Wake.

Now is really not the time for the 'counting on you' bit. I do not need any more pressure right now, and I can't have any fun to lighten the mood. Let's just get on with it, please.



It's the world's fastest ride, made with the latest technology from AngelMarker. Its name is the E.S. Savage! It's the newest model, loaded with the Supernova Star Engine!

We're getting an airship!

The Supernova Star Engine takes in Ether from the atmosphere. It uses it to amplify the passengers' Star Energy and convert it to propulsion power. You'll use this craft to reach the Dusk Circles all around the world. It runs completely on autopilot! Isn't it a dream come true?

We don't get to fly it.

Chlotz would piss himself if he saw this.

Alright, guys, get your inner children back under control.

Trust me, I've been restraining mine ever since we got authorization to start all of this. Let's begin already.

Who are you going to take into the Labyrinth with you?



You're given the option to choose between Fuuko, Ellie, Narika, and Chloe. We're taking Fuuko in this time. I didn't hold a vote, but that's because this field trip is still part of Tutorial Town. We haven't quite gotten off the rails yet. Jacob, Elley, and Esther will be accompanying us as well.

You ready, Fuuko?

I'm ready.

Very well. The other girls will be able to monitor you two over the communication gear.

And don't try anything funny just because you're along with her, okay?

We'd be able to hear and see everything.

Chief Ruby!

I'm walking into a constantly shifting monster hive that no-one on earth has survived in for more than a few minutes tops, and even fewer have seen. I'm going in completely blind, with the exception of the limited knowledge you guys possess. I have to learn as much as I can about what I'm dealing with.

I'm just trying to ease their tension.

(He's a completely different person... What is with this guy?)

Well, good luck, you two!

Wake is acting a little... off. I'm sure it's nothing important.



When selecting a Labyrinth from the map, you can also change the heroine you are taking with you using the Y button (which is Tab on the keyboard I think. The hell?) You'll also get access to 'sub-labyrinths' over time. These are just optional dungeons with beefier enemies. The Training Facility only gives you experience, so the sub-labyrinths are where you want to go if you want to farm money and good items.



The goal here is obvious: Stop the boss and shut the Circle down. The dungeons get longer as the game goes on as well, to an almost absurd degree. This first dungeon just has 5 floors, but the last dungeon in the game has something like 25, and it is a damn slog. The game is nice enough to highlight the floors that have quest targets on them though. We don't have any yet, but I'll show you what it looks like when we pick some up later.





Anyway, Lust Labyrinth, here we go!



This thing can sure get some height. We can see Star God from up here!



No really, we can. That massive ass world tree there is the Rootstone that Chlotz mentioned just before I shit all over his name. The jewel looking thing is supposedly the Star God's Will. The Church is headquartered in a city at the base of the root and can apparently commune with Star God.

So at what point in the finale do we climb that thing and kick some villainous god-wannabe ass? We don't. This is pretty much all we will ever see of it. It just hangs out in the background.



[Announcement]: All personnel must change into battle attire before entering the Dusk Circle.

Back to business I suppose. The gang needs to gear up before going in.

God... dammit...



-Lust Labyrinth-

'Impact' was not mentioned as being part of the flight plan. Nevertheless, we got here in one piece. It's..uh..It's sort of garish in here.



Yeah... Just like Mark said, it's a damn maze in here.

Wake, it seems you've made it there safely.

We're going all the way in now.

That's quite bold of you. Make sure to take it slow.

I'm well aware.

(Nothing? Really? What happened to him?)

The deeper you go in, the stronger the Dusk Energy inside will become. Obviously, that means the monsters will be stronger as well, so be careful.

Umm....Wake? Are you...doing okay?

'Okay' is a little too wide of a lens. What do you mean, exactly?

Well, you've been getting more and more serious as the day has gone on. You didn't even shout something weird when you transformed, like you did last time. You just stood there and...poof! You know?

It's nothing to worry about. I'm still the same old me, whether or not you like that. This is just new territory for me. I don't know what to expect from these places yet. Not to mention I've spent the past few days having everyone in the school pile expectations on top of me. I'm nearing the limit of my stress tolerance.

Okay. Just know that me and the Star Children are by your side.

Thanks Fuuko. That helps a lot. I promise I'll be back to my usual self once the things settle down.

Ah...well, let's not be too hasty. Maybe you could still do without the--

Whatever you're about to say, no can do.

Operation: Baby's First Dungeon! Commence!

Battle Video will be at the end of the update since it contains spoilers on the update itself.
Usually warning about the music vids possibly having spoilers or naughty shots
Music: Dungeon Battle 1
(This one is actually really catchy. You should listen. Especially funny is the guy in the comments section trying decipher the lyrics.)



I mentioned this before, but our aim is to get to these portals so we can advance to the next level. The green dot on the mini-map signals a 'Get the hell out of here portal', while blue is our advancement portal.



You can tell how strong of a monster you're dealing with by the way it looks on the dungeon map. Gold enemies are quest/event enemies, so you can easily spot them while running around.

"God's Poke" is an ability that Wake has by default. Once you've passed the enemy's strength by a certain amount, Wake's team will just rip them in half like tissue paper. You still get the experience and whatnot, but you don't have to battle. The only reason not to steamroll one when you see it is if it's surrounded by a stronger enemy and you don't want to put up with a battle.



This sounds a little more worrying than it actually is. Treasure chests can be booby-trapped, but those are purple colored and warn you before you try and open them. The actual chance of getting hit with a trap seems to be fairly low starting out (I leveled all four heroines, opening every chest I came across, and never got hit with a trap once). Later in the game you can get Star Children classes and items that can just disarm the things.

There are some pain in the ass traps a bit later, but I'll point those out whenever I'm unfortunate enough to run into them (which WILL happen, I assure you).



Enough of that. We have battle tutorials to finally plow through.



I move down the hall and into the first room, grab a potion from the nearby treasure chest and start the first battle. If you approach enemies from behind, you can score an advantage, and the enemy can of course pull that on you as well (likely as you try and run around them to save time). Who's ready to get buried in tutorials?!





A few things to highlight. We don't have access to MECUNITE just yet. It will be shown off soon. Chain Drive and Ether Density will be explained shortly.











Sorry about that, but the game condenses this stuff better than I can. It does really throw all of those at you in this battle, I'm not cramming everything from the dungeon into this one scene.

NOTE: Technically, this is all you truly need to know to beat this game. I know that because it's basically all I did for my entire Vita play through. You can get by perfectly fine by just hitting weak points and doing bog standard JRPG tactics. If you are a sane person, then skip past everything between this point and the next story screenshot.

Any of you still reading at this point must really want to know everything about how these additional battle systems work. If that's the case, then put on your glasses. You're in for some studying.



I lazily finish the battle against the glorified training dummy and we move on.

Jacob lets us know that he's leveled up as well. The Star Children will occasionally shout stuff out as you are running around. Sometimes it's a random phrase, sometimes it's just to let you know they leveled up in that last battle, but sometimes they have cute little things to say about their dad and moms. I'll include any of those that happen, because they can range from heartwarming to outright savage burns. It's hilarious.

Grit your teeth, here it comes again.



Uuugh. Almost done. After running into another room (containing two enemies this time) we get barraged with this as we attack the first thing we see.



MECUNITE let's the Star Children get in on mom and dad's transformation fun. It burns through BP though, so only use it if in a bind (In other words, practically never).











We kill that thing and then grab some new clothes (armor) for the kids before hitting up the other monster.



This is the Chain System, and it's the reason why Speed is the name of this game. The Speed stat impacts turn order, Chaining an enemy only lasts until their turn comes up, and hitting an enemy while they are chained builds a combo. That combo gives bonus EXP/Glow and some BP at the end of battle.



You should be able to piece that together. The more you out speed the enemy, the more turns you can get, which means the more hits you can score when they get chained, which means better bonuses.



Another room later, we get our Ether Density explanation.









We're winding down now (oh thank you Star God for this mercy). Seventh Burst are special team skills that Wake and the Heroines can have. They chew up a lot of MP (and later BP), but they deal a good shot of damage. They're basically Limit Breaks you can throw out whenever you have the MP/BP.

Of special note, pay attention to the part about how having an ally positioned at a weak point causes the action cost to be large (takes longer for Wake's team to get their turn again). This is another reason why you'll want to have allies aimed away from weak points sometimes.















Here's everything you need to know about Elements. The affinity chart is the most important thing right now. In the early game you'll mostly be dealing with the Fire/Water/Wind/Earth circle. The latter part of the game gets stupid with Light Element enemies though, which are a pain to deal with.



With all of that out of the way, we can finally move on with the game and start battling stuff as we please.

A big welcome back to all the sane people that just skipped that part, by the way.

We were able to monitor the ecology of the monsters within the Labyrinth as well.

That wasn't so bad. You guys were really building this place up to be absolutely terrifying. I can work with this.

Thank goodness. I'm really tired of carrying Elley around.

Asmodeus Intro - Watch the cutscene



Looks like we missed one during our little purge.



Pretty fancy armor. Probably not going to help you much though.



Oooohhhh....



So this is YOUR turf I take it?



What the hell is that thing? It doesn't look like the doofuses we've been fighting so far.

Yikes... That one seems completely different from the ones we've encountered.

That's... Wake! Get away from that monster, now! That's a Dusk Spawner! In other words, it's the boss of this Labyrinth. That aura you're feeling is Dusk Energy. That thing creates the monsters you fought. But to think it would be on an early floor like this... You have to get out of there!

This is the bastard that's creating the monsters? We can't run from that, we need to kill it!

Listen to me!



There's no way you can beat it now. Do not chase it down! Come back at once!

I mean, the tactically reasonable thing to do here is listen to Ruby and book it. On the other hand, anytime an RPG tells you to run away from an enemy, it's just begging to be fought. Better judgement be damned.

So what's it going to be Wake? You going to run away and let this monster make you look like a candy-ass in front of Fuuko and the kids?



If it bleeds we can kill it!

I'm not backing down from this! It's the source of untold suffering! I will bury it!

Can we maybe discuss this a little more?!





The game gives us a final two cards to explain that RNG will sometimes cause ally teams to interfere with an enemy attack. Personally, if I have no agency over it then I don't particularly care.



On to what matters. Despite Ruby telling us that it can't be killed, that doesn't necessarily mean that this guy is tough. He's kind of a joke to be honest.



He only hits for about 70 damage with his basic attack, and he's not exactly blowing us out of the water in terms of speed. He's a bit faster than Wake and Fuuko, but our default Star Children are keeping up just fine.



He spends most of his time aiming for Team A since they have about half as much health as Wake/Fuuko, despite the fact that Wake and Fuuko are by far the larger threat (for comparison, Team A deals about 140 damage attacking head on, probably 300 or 400 if they were hitting the weak point).



Despite locking in on Team A, he barely dents them. Remember, we have a Cleric on Team A that has a heal spell. The damage they took, which can you see above, could be completely erased with a single cast. That's not even getting in to the fact that we picked up a bunch of potions on our way here.

Other than deliberately stalling for time, I don't see a way to lose to him. I did a test run on a separate recording while taking a Level 1 Chloe in with me, and when it came time for this fight I had everyone stand still and just slug it out.

Elley actually had to cast Heal that time. Even if I hadn't used heal in that fight and Team A wiped, Wake and Fuuko would have finished it about 1 or 2 attacks later.

You can win this fight without using anything the game has taught you so far, except for having to press Attack and maybe Skills. If my cat got the inkling to paw at the keyboard for a few minutes, she probably could have beaten it too.



Of course, Ruby did kind of tell us that the thing is immortal. Given how easily we knocked it over though, we probably could have kept killing him for hours.

Not staying down huh?



Dammit, fine! Let's go everyone!

Asmodeus gets to live to bug us another day. More importantly, we have quite possibly my most hated scene in this entire game to watch!

WARNING: This scene is handled so poorly that I will be heavily editing Wake's dialogue here. I don't know if something was lost in the translation process and it all makes sense in Japanese, but I don't care. I refuse to follow the games lead in skimming over this blatant display stupidity.

-Laboratory-



If you weren't a God's Gift, I'd have your ass expelled from this Academy! Do you have any idea how reckless you were being back there!?

I'm sorry...

You seem to have something personal against monsters...

But, I have no interest in your personal sentiments.

How the hell am I supposed to shut these Circles down if the thing I need to beat can't be put down for good?...

No, it can be defeated. You'll have to use this to do it, though.



A Matryoshka? That thing I make Star Children in?



If everything goes as told by the oracle of the Star God... Using this when the Dusk Spawner is defeated should seal its power.

Ex... Excuse me?...

There was no plan for you to encounter the Dusk Spawner, so we didn't give it to you.

This thing... could have just... stopped it?

That's right. There's more to it, though. Once the Dusk Spawner is sealed, it will stop producing monsters within that Circle. This will vastly decrease the threat of monsters escaping it.

....

Wake?...

In other words, defeating the Dusk Spawner will sterilize that Circle. Of course, that doesn't mean the Dusk Circle will disappear... But it would be a great success to just call it a temporary fix.



And, make sure to bring back the Matryoshka doll that you sealed the Dusk Spawner in. We'll use it as research material.

We'll need it to continue our research into saving the world. We're counting on you.



Shut your fucking mouth Ruby...

...Excuse me?

I said shut your fucking mouth before I 'expel' your heart from your rib cage!



Esther: Haha! Dad said a bad word!

I think we should go now guys! Come on!

Jacob: Awww, I wanna see dad yell.

Elley: I wanna see a heart!

Maybe later, come on!

*Fuuko and the kids fucking book it*

...

Let me see if I've got this right. You sent us into the heart of a monster infested death maze knowing full well that an unkillable leader monster was skulking around. Not only did you not brief us on this in advance despite knowing of it, now I find out that you had some kind of Magic Pokeball sitting on a shelf in the storage closet? And you didn't provide me with either of those things because you didn't PLAN on us running into it?

You're not in--

It's the boss of that place you idiot! Of course we were going to run into it! A bunch of humans were tearing around it's Labyrinth! That's like not planning on the owner of the house to come downstairs with a rifle when somebody kicks their door in and starts rooting around their home!

...

What the hell were you thinking!? Why wouldn't you give me the fucking Devil Killer nesting doll for my trip straight into hell!? What would have happened if that thing had ambushed us and injured Fuuko or the kids, and we couldn't escape!? What if it had blocked the exit!? What if it had decided to chase us, like monsters are known to do!

...

It's not even an AngelMarker product! It's a Church relic given by the Star God! If anyone on God's green earth deserves to have it it's me! What, were you holding on to it for when Super God's Gift shows up!?

...If you had given me that damn thing in the first place, like you should have, that Dusk Circle would be neutralized right now. The monster threat would have subsided, people nearby could finally get a peaceful night's sleep, and the Disciples fighting tooth and nail would have been able to catch their breaths. Now they have to keep up the struggle for another few days, burying friends and family along the way, so that we can get ready to go back in and chase that spawner into a corner again.

....

You're a colossal fuckup Ruby. You should have never been given the authority you currently have.

...You've said your piece. Now get out.

If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I will come into this Lab, string you up with that big-ass bra of yours, and drag you into the nearest Labyrinth to watch you run screaming through its halls from the monsters. I'm sure you'd get out just fine though. It's only a constantly shifting maze. From your point of view, those are a breeze to escape from on short notice.

*Wake leaves*

...

...That confrontation did not go quite how I thought it would...

Shut up, Mark.



So that was fun! I want to add that I did not selectively edit out a single official line. Ruby had that Sealing Matryoshka in her pocket and clearly demonstrates that they knew about Asmodeus well in advance (somehow). Her willful incompetence never gets called out by anyone, but she gets to yell at Wake and knock him down a peg.

I hate this scene. I hate this scene with a passion. Despite only lasting for like 1 minute, I have a hard time thinking of a scene in any RPG that makes me angrier. The only game that comes to my mind right this second is Tales of the Abyss, and how half the cast in that game gets away with shitting all over Luke without ever getting called out for their own blatant fuckery.

But anyway, let's look at the positives, shall we? No more railroading! We are finally free to explore Labyrinths/Classmate/play the actual JRPG.

We also have some new arrivals to introduce.

---------------------------------------------------------

Baby's First Dungeon

Also, Narika is with Wake in this video. This was my third run through this segment (I apparently didn't record the run with Chloe where I slugged it out with the boss, so I redid it with Narika this time).