Part 7: I'm in love with my Lust; Burning Asmodeus to dust
~Update 5: I'm in love with my Lust; Burning Asmodeus to dust~This is it. We're leaving Chapter 1 behind this update. The intro will finally be put behind us and we can start making actual progress on the whole 'saving the world' deal.
Team A(wful) has been training hard and is now up to level 9. They're only 1 level behind the Tutorial Team, except that Jacob, Elley, and Esther have reached their natural limit at level 10. Every member of Team A(wful) has a level cap somewhere in the 20's, so their potential has yet to be realized.
Their stats have gotten a bump. They are more of a Tanky group than I originally would have thought when these classes were chosen. They hit hard and can take a hard hit, but their speed leaves a lot to be desired. This is likely due to the inclusion of Luna, since the Merchant class is more of a Tank type.
This is the Tutorial Team for comparison. Keep in mind that they do have 1 level on Team A(wful). They are a much faster group and have a better balance of stats, but they don't pack the same punch. They also can't compete in terms of HP or MP. In terms of their individual members, they are about the same. Neither team has a weaker link than the other.
Enough of that. Let's get this done. Narika will be accompanying Wake for this dungeon, after receiving votes from the thread who thought she kind of got the shaft on her transformation scene and could use a little confidence booster.
The other highlight from voting is that Chloe's costume basically tanked her chances. The unfortunate part is that we have no way of rectifying this. Wake gets to unlock a 'School Uniform' dungeon costume later that is just his regular school outfit we see him in all the time. Chloe (and the other heroines) don't get that, they get Swimsuits. This should surprise absolutely nobody. No teacher outfit for Chloe in dungeons, it's stripper-chic or bust.
-Lust Labyrinth-
Wake's costume vote was for his Alternate suit, so he's rocking the regal white. Narika's vote was for her normal suit, Ellie and Fuuko will be in their Alternate suits, and Chloe... the jury is out on Chloe. There's currently a tie between her regular and alternate. We'll sort that out eventually.
(Still can't think of anything... I'll need to buckle down and do some research before the next Labyrinth mission.)
Umm, Wake? I heard from Fuuko that you and Chief Ruby got into a fight after the last trip here... Are we going to be okay?
Hm? Oh, don't worry about that. We're fine now. Water under the bridge. I'll be taking her advice into account from now on, so she will still be with us.
That's wonderful news. I'm happy that the two of you could make up. Does that mean that you apologize to her?Oh, no. That implies that I felt I was wrong. She definitely still deserves her share of blame. We just reached a deal and agreed to move on, that's all.A deal? What is she doing for you?...-Laboratory-
Jacob! Stay out of Renda!
I want to get stronger! You're not my mom!You can't get stronger! Star Children have natural-- Elley! Stop scattering those documents on the floor!
Why don't you have magic research? I want to learn a new healing spell!We don't do spell research here!*gunshots and glass shattering*
Heh, ten outta ten.Esther! Stop using those beakers as target practice! Those are expensive! Dammit, why won't any of you listen to me!?-Lust Labyrinth-
Let's just say that I'm happy with it.
Now that we have free reign over dungeons, let's talk a little about what we've been picking up.
Most of the items are basic. Potions restore HP, Potion+ restores more HP than Potions, Mana Stones are the same thing except for MP. Here are the less obvious ones:
Star Drop/Star Drop + - HP and MP recovery. Roughly equal to using 1 Potion and 1 Mana Stone at the same time.
Bond Powder - Revives a downed Star Child team. Also recovers 500HP. You can use it as kind of emergency healing, or when only one or two Star Children in the Team are KO'ed.
Star Bomb - Instant escape from battle
Escape Hatch - Let's you leave the dungeon whenever you want
Enemy Search - Let's you see what the enemies are on the dungeon map before battling them. Wears off over time. Handy for quests, except for one small detail...
Wake gets a skill almost immediately that does the same thing as Enemy Search. It only costs 60MP, which even at this early stage of the game is nothing (Mana Stones are everywhere in dungeons and restore 400MP minimum). There's also the fact that at this point in the game there are only about 4 or 5 types of enemies we can run in to.
Here are the monsters we've been fighting so far. These guys are called Bootes, while their stronger palette swapped cousins are Booteles. Neither are of any threat. They only have two basic skills and they rarely use them. They prefer to just attack physically when able.
Then there's Wimp and Wimpus. The creepy nightmare bats with very appropriate names. They also just attack physically whenever able. They don't have the Obliteration skill attack that the Bootes do, but Wimpus is able to boost magic attack.
Garamus are the big hammer bros. They can lower ATK and boost their own ATK, but they rarely do either. Again, they will usually just attack physically.
The roadrunner dudes with spears are reckless. Also that's their name. They can lower SPD and boost their own, but likely won't get the chance to do either.
Finally, we've got the weird spider cannon things. These aren't particularly common, are usually on their own in this dungeon, and only have the one attack skill. They are weird in every way.
There isn't a whole lot I can say about this dungeon. I can't give you any kind of guide since the layout is randomized. It technically has 5 floors, but it's really only 4 (Asmodeus is on floor 5 and you go straight into the boss battle when enter the portal on F4).
You can blow through the entire dungeon while killing every enemy and picking up all the items in roughly 20 or 30 minutes. There's nothing here that could be considered a threat to you. Treasure Chests are very frequent in these dungeons, so you can easily offset any drop in HP or MP by just popping a Mana Stone or Potion (so even if you don't bring a Cleric, you'll be fine).
Not to mention that you really have to speed run this place to encounter anything approaching a challenge. Wake and Narika here can obliterate anything in this dungeon by themselves, and the Star Children would probably be able to manage just fine on their own.
I want to point out something here. A lot of you might look at this and say "Well obviously it's easy, you're incredibly over leveled for what amounts to a glorified training dungeon". You would be correct.
However, as a counter point to that, I want to mention that my total play time for this save file is 5 hours. At least an hour of that was spent leisurely reading through story segments. A half hour or so was spent farting around and getting screenshots of city functions and Star Children. And I'm pretty sure another half an hour was spent poking at miscellaneous things like the Database, Tutorial Cards, equipment, etc.
My total time in dungeon has been about 2.5 hours, tops. Keep in mind that I was training all four heroines. In actual practice, unless you're one of those types that aims for 100% on the first run, most players would settle on one or maybe two favourite heroines and exclusively train them.
Yes, Wake and Narika are grossly over leveled for this. Wake is Lv16 and Narika is Lv14 due to a weird exp...thing that I spent time trying to replicate. I was going to call it a glitch, but I need to do more testing to make sure it's not just a feature. Basically what was happening was that every so often when God's Poking a weak enemy, Wake and Narika would shoot up by 1000exp (a complete level). This happened 3 times with Narika (once for me to notice it, twice for me to try and test it), twice in the same dungeon run. I could not repeat this when trying with Fuuko or Chloe.
More testing needs to be done on that to be sure, since it really looks like some kind of Narika related glitch to me (for comparison, beating Asmodeus here will only net us 180 exp. Regular battles range between 17-50).
My point is, I am not spending an extrordinary amount of time grinding. I have rarely seen a player start a JRPG for the first time, sit through an hour of tutorials and story setup, then rush the end of chapter boss as fast as possible while ignoring shops and other functions that open up. Most players would stop for a moment, enjoy the freedom the game has finally given them, and start fiddling around with things. Experimenting without the hand holding of the tutorial. You know, playing the actual game.
I did a bit of grinding for LP purposes, but this is still within bounds of a normal player. The difficulty of this game is just sooo low. There's no difficulty options either, not sure if I mentioned that already or not. It's like the game was set to 'Easy' while the devs were testing it, then they forgot to change things back before it got sent off for printing.
What was I getting at again? Oh... Asmodeus is already dead. Uhhh....hang on.
Let's try that again. This time deliberately holding back Wake and Narika so that they do not contribute to the battle at all.
Finally. Figures it would go cower in the deepest part of the Labyrinth rather than hang out where we found it last time.
Be careful, it'll most likely be more formidable than before.Good job on that by the way.You're just as much to blame as I am.Listen carefully, Wake. That monster will use a skill that will decrease your attack power. It also has a high offense power, so be cautious while you fight it.
Yeah, yeah. Everyone ready?
I-I'm a little scared, but--
That's the spirit, Narika.Buuuut, we're gonna hang back for this one.
What? But, but...Listen, you dug in your heels and showed a lot of courage there just now. I'm proud of you.But the Star Children are getting kind of restless. They also worked really hard during their training, so I think they deserve a little treat. You kids have fun. Go wild.
Yaay!
Okay, so I went a little overboard there. Wake and Narika are going to sit things out this time and let the Star Children have a turn. I make Wake and Narika defend every turn and just sit there. I keep Team A(wful) in place to avoid having Asmodeus split his attacks between them and Wake/Narika.
Ruby once again proves that she's a fucking moron. Do not listen to her. Asmodues' stats are still pathetic. The only thing Asmo has going for it is a high defense and decent speed.
Ruby is also apparently blind, because Asmodeus most certainly does not have 'high offense'. It has ATK Sapper, MAT Sapper, and Stare of Death. The database said it had Dusk Release as well, but that doesn't appear to be the case here.
ATK Sapper - Lowers target's attack (I have rarely seen Asmodeus use this)
MAT Sapper - Lowers target's Magic Attack (Again, rarely seen it use this. Team A(wful) doesn't even have any magic attacks going for it, so this is useless to Asmodeus.)
Stare of Death - Bosses have this skill. It just means we can't run from it. So scary.
Also, notice that it's sitting at a supposed level of 18. Team A(wful) is 8 levels below that, sitting at level 10. They are about to crush this thing.
Asmodeus still hits for roughly 60-90 damage, same as before. The only way it would be hitting harder is if you took the Tutorial Team straight back to this dungeon and dodged all the enemies you could so that they were still sitting at level 3 or 4. Remember, Team A(wful) is only level 10, which is the same level that the Tutorial Team caps at.
The thread team has picked up some skills during training. Let's have a look:
Blinding Slash - Basic attack skill. Might lower accuracy.
Armor Break - You can probably guess. Attack skill that might lower Defense.
Pickpocket - Felicia realizes her inner thief and tries to steal items from enemies. Does some damage too.
Heal - It heals.
Divine Aegis - Raises team defense.
Blinding Slash is mostly what I stick with. It does about 1000 damage and hits from two directions (one of which is Asmodeus' weak spot). This entire battle boils down to a back and forth between Team A(wful) hitting with Blinding Slash and Asmodeus just kind of swiping at them half-hearterdly. Wake and Narika just hang out and defend every turn.
Aww, everyone is all tuckered out. Time to put Asmodeus to bed and take the Star Children home.
Without doing any healing whatsoever, including MP restoring, Team A(wful) only hits 270 HP before Asmodeus bites it. They could have taken another two hits, easy.
Good job, guys. You made dad and your various moms proud. We get another Potion+ as well as a Heavenly Fruit, which is a permanent increase to Luck. I either dumped these all on Wake or dumped them into whatever heroine I decided on. You can save them all for the end game, or give them to whomever. Doesn't really matter. Not a good idea to use them on Star Children though, since they get swapped out a lot.
Another option is to horde them for when you go to make Star Children. That way if the heroines are coming up just shy of a new class you can fill in the missing stat quick and easy.
Shut up, Ruby. Just shut up and stop pretending that you're helping.
Everyone, now! Do the thing I told you!
Let our powers combine!
And that's it. Easy. If only someone had given us the means to do this the first time we encountered this loser.
Woooo! Party time! Let's get hammered! Maybe you're not so bad after all Ruby.
Uh, Chief... they're underage.Don't be a buzzkill, Mark.Come on, a little bit won't hurt.No.
I thought you were cool.
Wake, we'd like to retrieve the Sealing Matryoshka. Come back at once.-E.S. Savage-
Announcement: Well done on your mission. We are now passing near the Rootstone. It will be visible on the left side.
I showed off this shot in a previous update. I just want to include it again because it looks really pretty.
Announcement: The Church prays to this stone, and the oracles speak to the Star God through it. The Aterra Church has made its headquarters directly beneath the Rootstone, as well.
...Yeah, that's great. I'd appreciate it if you shut up though. We're trying to catch a nap on the way back. Save the history for school.-Laboratory-
Here you go. Have fun with it, I guess.
Look at this data! The amount of Dusk Energy coming off of the sterilized Dusk Circle has decreased!
Why are you bringing that up now? Enzea's already predicted that result.
That was only a simulation, though. There was no way to know if it would actually happen until we saw it in reality.
That's not very scientific of you, Mark. The calculations we make allow us to make conclusions that put food on the table.How is that unscientific? Your 'conclusions' were tested under real world conditions and--You know what, never mind. The Star Children are tired, Narika is tired, I'm tired. Not in the mood for this. I'm out.Wake, you did well today. Make sure you get some rest and prepare for the next one. Oh, and...Yeah?
Thanks for the advice grandma. I'll make sure to put on a sweater too.Such an ass.That's a wrap for the Lust Labyrinth. How about we unwind a little before Chapter 1 finishes up?
-School Store-
Get me a cider I guess.Wake does ask for a cider in official dialogue. He is obviously talking about the non-alcoholic variety of cider, but I like to pretend that this school is just cool enough to sell the hard stuff to students, like they're in anime Denmark or something.
Okay. Here ya go.
Look, Narika, it's Wake and Chlotz.
Oh, you're right.Hey, you two.Are you getting drinks? Narika, should we get something too?That sounds nice. I'm thirsty. Which one are you going to get, Fuuko?I think I'll get the berry juice. What about you?Well... There's such a selection that I can't make up my mind. What should I get...?You strike me as a tea kind of girl, but then again I was way off base on the elemental stuff with you girls, so I have no idea anymore.
Standard Disciple B: You're right. Even the Elites buy things from vending machines! Either they don't know what they want, or she doesn't know how to use a soda machine.
Standard Disciple A: Man, the S Rank girls look so cool, even when they're failing at simple tasks!
I feel like everyone's staring at us. Or is it just my imagination...?Beats me. I always feel like there are eyes on me.I don't think you're imagining it. To the normal Disciples here, being an S Rank or a God's Gift is a celebrity.I just want to point out the big difference between Elite and Standard Disciples, since we haven't heard much about what Standard Disciples even do. The database says that they mostly learn support skills and and fill support roles. Elite students are the ones with actual combat skill that go out and fight the monsters. We'll see a shot later in the game where Standard class Disciples are wielding guns, which will raise an odd question about this whole setup. For now though, all you need to know is that they are complete jobbers.
Really? Could have fooled me. I haven't exactly been feeling the love and respect around here.
It's tough being as popular as we are, huh?
Standard Disciple B: I'm pretty sure he's Ms. Chloe's little brother.
Standard Disciple A: Ohhh... That's why he's hanging around with them.
Ow. That stings more than I thought it would... Now I feel really awkward here.Not so fun getting ogled and judged is it?
I know what you're trying to do, and I'm not going to engage.I don't like it here, either...Let's get out of here then. Anyone have a good alternative?Um... I know of a good place.-Grassy Path-
It's so quiet on this path, too. It's hard to believe that we're still in the Academy.I admit, it is pretty relaxing out here. Nice smell, nice breeze, really peaceful.By the way, Wake, have you decided on which club to join?Dude, where am I going to find time for club stuff? I'm not exactly made of free time. What about you? Have you decided on joining one?I did decide. I'm not joining any of 'em! Instead, I'm going to help out at the lab.
You mean AngelMarker?So Ruby finally acquired a new toy, huh? Gotta admit, that took longer than I thought.Yeah, I'm going to assist Mark. I love cool gadgets, and I know a lot more than I look. I can't go into the Labyrinths and fight, but I'll be able to help you that way.
So be nice for once, man.Fine, fine. That's going to be at least some benefit to me, so I suppose I should be thankful.There's the old schoolhouse.-Old Schoolhouse-
This schoolhouse was here before the Academy was founded. It hasn't been in use since the Dusk Circles appeared and the Academy was built.I... come here a lot during lunchtime to read.Ah, this is where you disappear to. So this entire building is unused?Right. But I believe the other rooms can still be used if it was cleaned up.Alright! I just need to come here when I want to skip classes!
Chlotz, you shouldn't say things like that right in front of the vice president.Seriously. Think before you speak. This is a primo spot, and you're going to ruin it saying things like that.Um... I'll just pretend I didn't hear that.You're lucky she's too kind for her own good.
I'm sorry, okay? It just slipped out.Hey, isn't that... Ellie out there? You know, the first-year?I wonder what she's doing in a deserted place like here.
Hm...!?Leave our forrreessst or we will haunt you foreevveerr! OoooOoOoOOO!Would you knock that off?It was a joke, don't be such a killjoy. It's just us Ellie!Ah... Hello, everyone. Is Wake there with you?Unfortunately.What're you doing over there?
Oh... Um, nothing much.
It feels so nice and warm outside, so I was looking at the flowers...Then come over here and join us! Let's share some drinks!I'll take you up on that offer.
What's yours, Ellie?It's Erenge fruit juice that Chlotz gave me. What about you, Narika?It's iced herb tea.What does it taste like? Can I try some of what everyone has?Sure.Here, I'll let you try mine too.Haha... This is fun.
(Damn, had to stop myself there for a second. I was about to say something that I have a feeling I would regret in a room with three girls present. Mental filter, Wake. Just be an ass instead.)I'm not sharing your spit.... Thought you'd say that.Um, if you like, won't you try tasting mine? This is really delicious.Do you want to drink mine too?Oh, you can try mine too, if you'd like.
I've never checked, but I'm sure this gives a boost to the bond gauge of whomever you choose. I mean, it has to, right?
Anyway, we go with Narika since she was voted as the dungeon companion. Wake seems like an iced tea kinda man. Berry juice seems a little too kiddish and who the hell knows what Erenge is, but it sounds a little too fancy-pants. Iced tea is a nice middle ground.
Let me try the iced herb tea then.Oh... Mine then. Here you are.Mm, that's a refreshing herbal taste right there...(Hm, maybe I could roll this God's Gift thing into a marketing gig when this is all over with...)Oooh, the vice president and God's Gift are trading cooties now.Chlotz, are you in fifth grade or something? Cooties? Really?Hm? Wh-What...?
Um... That's not why I offered it to him. I-It's not like that.Narika, it's okay. We know.
C-Cooties...Don't tease them like that, Chlotz. You're going to make things all awkward and difficult for me.Sorry, I didn't think you'd get all flustered like that.
......What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?I love hanging out with you guys. So many priceless moments.What...!? Seriously...?Ah, this game really does have its moments. Speaking of moments--
*velvety smooth voice* And now, for a very special segment of:
I didn't notice until the others left, but this is a very quiet place.Yes. Also, when I'm here, I can forget about my worries. I can even forget that I'm a Disciple...Oh...I shouldn't be saying such things.
Nah, to be honest, I feel the same too... It still hasn't hit me that I have a duty to slay monsters. I mean, look at me. I'm just an ordinary girl who's a little good at swimming. I can't just gain confidence in myself simply because someone suddenly told me so....I have to agree. I feel the same way.So I can understand how you feel, Fuuko.Thank goodness. It's a relief that I have someone close who shares the same feelings....Me too.Hmm... But aside from that......What is it? It's... embarrassing if you stare at me like that.Well, we're alone right now, so I'm gonna take the plunge and say it.
Huh!?
I mean, look at me. I'm so jealous of you! I'm pathetic!Th-That's not true!I think your breasts are very lovely.Really? How?Um, well... Their shape is... I think boys would like them.
Huh? What kind of shape is that?Huh? I-I don't know!I'm sorry, I don't even know what I'm saying right now.I-Isn't size more important than shape?I don't think so. There must be some who like smaller girls...I mean, what am I saying?Ahaha... I'm sorry that I got all excited too.I'm not going to blanket statement this whole thing, but anecdotally, I heard a similar conversation to this happen when I was in high school, and it most certainly did not end this amicably.
...Aah! I-It's nothing! Right, Fuuko!?Th-That's right! Nobody is talking about breasts here!
F-Fuuko! Why!?Chlotz, why the hell did-- Oh, what are you guys still doing here?Wh-Why did you come back?Ask him. We were walking back and suddenly Chlotz' eyes widen and he takes off like a bat out of hell back towards the schoolhouse. I thought he might have heard a monster, so I chased after him.I was hoping to kill the monster after it was done thrashing him around.Oho... I think we're intruding on them. It seems we've put a damper on a secret discussion about lady lumps.That's why you ran back here? Do you have a sixth sense for perverted-ness or something? Come on you weirdo. We're heading back for real this time.Well, have fun, you two!H-Hey!...Hrgh, those two got the completely wrong idea.I don't actually think there was much of a misunderstanding here...Now that you mention it, you're right...Haha...Ahaha...Fuuko.Hm?
Of course. And you'll be my friend too, right?Yes...!Well, that started off weird, but it eventually hooked back around to be pretty heartwarming. What a perfect place to end the update...
Let's ruin that.
-Heroes' Grave-
Yeah. Supposedly it's a graveyard for Disciples who don't have a hometown to be sent to.It's sad that they have no place to return to...My hometown was destroyed by a Nest. If I die, I'll be buried here, too.What about your parents?Monsters got my parents and friends. My only sister died the night before her wedding trying to protect me from a monster.
I include this shot of official dialogue because I honestly can't desecrate such a fine piece of complete Narm. This is hilariously poorly executed, even for me. I'm a huge Devil May Cry fan, and this is up there with 'fill your dark soul with LIGHT' for me. If this was voice acted, I think it may have managed to pass that.
I still can't get that moment out of my head.I will not allow monsters to exist, Chlotz.I see... I'm sorry for asking.No, it's fine. I'm sorry. I've had my time to grieve, time to cry, time to move on, but it still gets me worked up. I want to make the world peaceful again, and I like to believe that's why I was chosen as God's Gift. He heard my prayers....You mean your vengeance prayers?Star God is kind of a shitstarter.Yeah, that must be why...With that, we bring Chapter 1 to a close. Congratulations to user Dance Officer who hit 3 out of 4 on the 'possible tragic backstory motivation' card for the hero. You were so close, but the dead love interest just didn't materialize. At least you've got a bunch of cringe as a consolation prize!
Next update, we start on Chapter 2. We'll be introduced to a new heroine that I'm sure goons will love. We'll also catch up on a few developments in Fort City, including a challenge from a very special guest...
Bonus!
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I've got some image room left, so let's get a few database entries in here. This time while check out the heroines stat spreads.
Ellie uses the Fire element. Her best stat is Magic Defense, and she has solid Magic Attack to go with it. She's on the slower side though, and her attack is her worst attribute.
Narika uses Earth element and her best stat is TEC, which is accuracy. TEC isn't really overly useful, since attacks rarely miss anyway, but there are a few Star Child classes (like Grappler for example) that have a high TEC requirement, so it is helpful in that regard. Her Speed and Magic Attack are her worst stats, but she has a good balance of Luck, Attack, Defense, and Magic Defense.
Chloe uses Wind and favours the Luck stat. Luck is useful for scoring Criticals and other random chance garbage like that. Her Attack isn't great, but she's very well-rounded for all the others. Defense is a little on the low side however.
Fuuko uses the Water element, or Aqua as the game refers to it. Like Chloe, Fuuko leans towards the Luck stat. Her Attack isn't great and her worst stat is Magic Attack, but everything else is pretty good. It kind of fits with the whole "I'm so average" shtick she has going on.