Part 15: She's so cold and human; It's something humans do

~Update 8.5 (Bonding with Torri): She's so cold and human; It's something humans do~

Essays and projects all due the same day, spent Saturday and Sunday at work in the wind and rain, Daylight Saving Time ends, power outage from noon to midnight yesterday (really appreciated the pitch black with all that school work to do), and now the nap I took during the outage combined with DST has my sleep schedule fucked seven different ways. November is off to such an amazing start. Sure can't wait for the rest of the month!

Welcome back everyone. I apologize for the longer than usual gap in updates. It's now time for a regularly scheduled story break. We've got a new party member on board and she needs a little attention.

Before that, however, everyone should welcome our new Team A(wful).





Blacksmith got the most votes, and user Sword of Dusk once again provided the name. Adrienne the Blacksmith will be the new leader of Team A(wful). Her mother is Chloe. Chloe was the only one that could give me Blacksmith, but that's fine with me since she was left out of the mommy fun in Team A(wful) 1.0.






Backing her up, we have Caine the Ether Sniper. No name suggestions here, so I named him after Caine the Longshot from Trigun (Anime). Caine's mom is Narika, since she was the only one able to give me Ether Sniper.

I also gave Caine an Attack Boost Matryoshka, just to show off that they each have different little designs along the bottom.





Rounding out the group is Aria the Hunter. This was a random generator name. I couldn't think of any notable female Video Game/Anime hunters at the time. Then while writing this post I realized I should have gone with 'Aloy', from Horizon: Zero Dawn. Damn it. Serina is the mom because her stat spread is the only one even remotely close to a match for Hunters.



New Team A(wful) is a hell of a lot more unbalanced than their predecessors. They'll hit like a truck, whenever they manage to get a turn anyway. Skill wise I think they will make up for the lack in speed though. Hunter and Blacksmith classes are a bit more on the technical side.

The new team will be replacing Felicia, Luna, and Seth. Those three have served us well, and they will continue to serve us well because I'm shifting them to the Team C slot semi-permanently.

See, I'm kind of just fucking with the game at this point, so I'm planning on keeping our first thread team around as an experiment. I'm interested to see exactly how far into the game I can bring them. How long will it take before they simply can't survive in battle against the monsters?

So they aren't going anywhere, they'll just be taking a back seat until they hit a point where the only thing they can really do is heal and stay alive.



After that, I do some shifting around. I give independence to all of the Star Children above level 1, put a Minstrel in Team B, add in a Mercenary, then make a Lancer the leader of Team Manly Man. Some of the Star Children give gifts when they gain independence as well. In this round of inventory clearing, they gave me a bunch of Stat Fruits. Thanks guys! The increased city level opens a few more items and gifts, but we'll talk about those another time.

Anyway, let's talk about Torri. I'm going to be straight with you. Torri is our Rei Ayanami for the game, sort of. I can't really get into a big spiel about who Rei Ayanami is and why she is the poster girl for her archetype, for.... reasons. My guess is that if you're reading this thread, then you probably have at least a basic knowledge of her.

All you really need to know is that Torri is that, except she's not quite as emotionless as this type of character usually is. Nevertheless, that's largely what you're in for with her. Just a heads up.


You know the deal. Careful about NSFW/Spoiler stuff with these music vids.
Music: Monochrome - Torri's Theme

-1st-Year Classroom-

Torri, there you are.



Oh, it's Wake. Hello. Do you need me?

Need is a strong word. I just wanted to introduce myself, since we're going to be Classmating and all that noise.

What a proper greeting! Good!

I'll be proper, too. Let's both you and me play our parts! I'm looking forward to Classmating. Anytime is OK!

Glad to see you've got the enthusiasm.

Is that all you needed? Is it OK if I go back to my seat now?

I'm going to look out the window now, at the sky. The clouds are calling me.



...I guess? I've never really given it any thought.

OK. Well, I love the fluff. OK then, goodbye.

*Torri walks like, two feet away and just stands there*

Riiight. Goodbye, then.

(She's a weird one, alright.)

This next part is just one of the random filler events, but I'm including it because a lot of Torri's bonding stuff in this update is very to the point.


-Hallway-

Oh, hey Torri. Waiting for something?



Go for it.

What kind of person is Alec?

Eh, we had some problems recently, but I think we've sorted everything out. We're cool with each other now, so I think he's a pretty cool guy.

My classmates were saying Alec's scary. That he's an amazing Disciple, but he's too scary to talk to.

They also said he didn't blink when he found out what the monster was...

Your classmates are idiots, Torri. I was there when it happened, and Alec was definitely as shocked as the rest of us when we all figured it out. He's not a bad guy, even if he is a bit of a jerk sometimes.

Mmhm, I think so too. I haven't really talked to Alec much, but I wasn't scared of him when I did. I'm glad you think the same way.

I also included it because it has to do with Alec, and he's our bud now.

Time to get Torri acquainted with Classmating.


-Ritual Hall-

Ready to try out Classmating, Torri?

OK.

That was surprisingly straightforward... Are you sure?

Yes. I'm ready. Are you?

I'm good. I'm used to it all at this point.



Don't worry about it. There isn't much you have to do. I think I have to deal with the worst of it.

OK. I'll follow your lead. Just show me the steps.

Alright, show me if you know the first step.

OK. If I remember, I'm supposed to reach out to you first. I touch you like this, and then say, "Hmmmm," while thinking deeply.

Right. That's... technically what happens, I guess. Not quite sure you're really understanding it though.

Whatever, it's probably fine.



Torri didn't have the stats needed to open any new classes at first, even after I got her to level 10 (she starts at 6). This changed later on, in a big way (which we'll get to see in this update), and she then had the stats to create Ranger.

Ranger is kind of a mixed class. They have the same weird stat distribution as Torri, but they get a small mix of skills. They get Heal right off the bat for example, which is pretty handy if you don't want to run a Cleric.

Ranger wasn't included in the Team A(wful) voting this time. There were already a bunch of new classes to pick from, and I want to save some new ones for the next Chapter.



You did fine, Torri. Look, the Star Child turned out fine.

That's a good thank-you. I'll give you one in return.



I didn't know Classmating was so amazing. It took me by surprise! I want to see the Star Children more. So take me to the Labyrinth next time.

Oh, don't worry. You'll get your time in the Labyrinth.

That's true? You'll really take me with you?

Everyone gets training time in the Labyrinth. I need to know what you're capable of.

Good! OK, is this all you needed?

Yep, that's it for now. I'll get in touch with you when it's time for practice.

Ok, goodbye.

That was pretty cut and dry. At least Torri is easy to deal with. Barely any of that "Oh my god! Is the Star Child hideously deformed!?" stuff that the others were getting on with.

While we're here, let's talk about some of the new Matryoshka's that were picked up during dungeon runs.

Matryoshka WN - Gives the Star Child the Wind Element.
Matryoshka WT - Gives them the Water Element.
Matryoshka ET - Gives them Earth Element.
Matryoshka FR - Gives them Fire Element.
Matryoshka MDF - Gives them extra Magic Defense.
Matryoshka MAT - Gives them extra Magic Attack.
Matryoshka DF - Extra Defense.
Matryoshka AT - Extra Attack.
Matryoshka LC - Extra Luck.

It's all simple stuff. You just choose a Matryoshka based on what kind of stat bump you want to give them, or if you want them to have a certain element.

That being said, there isn't much use in bumping the MAT Stat if the Star Child you plan to make is a physical attacker.

Sure, doing that would still boost the Team's MAT stat overall, so it would contribute to a Mage on the team and make their magic more effective. However, if you make a team that's heavily focused on ATK and one of the physical heavy Star Children has a MAT boost, then it's kind of being wasted.

Of course, DEF and MDF boosts are useful on anyone. Every Star Child can benefit from stronger defenses.

Anyway, none of these are particularly hard to find. There's RNG involved with the treasure chests, but you should be able to snag a few during grinding or quest stuff.


-1st-Year Classroom-




[Male Disciple B]: They either get sent abroad or end up in the hospitals with injuries.

That's because your damn supply lines are lacking and you apparently don't have medical evacuation teams! Maybe if you morons had voted for any plan other than Sasami's!

Sorry. That sub-plot is still really bugging the shit out of me.


[Male Disciple A]: The same could happen to us tomorrow... I gotta say, I'm worried.


[Male Disciple B]: It'll be fine! I'm sure the S Ranks will do something about it.


(These fucking assholes. One day we're horrifying murderers, and the next we're their personal security team. I hate this place. If it wasn't for that lady running the AngelMarker Quest Board, and the S-Ranks... and Chlotz I guess... then I'd let this place burn.)

Hello. Did you come to see me?

Oh, Torri. Yes. I wanted to learn a bit more about you.

Really? Do you want to see the results of my physical exam?

Weight, height, and so on... Lots of things about me are written here!

No, Torri, that's not--



Really, Official Wake? The only two real responses here are "Fuck yeah!" and "I have no interest at all"? Screw that. Take the middle ground.

I mean, it can be pretty fun to think about sometimes.

Huh... Men fantasize about very interesting things!

That's not what I meant when I said I wanted to know more about you, Torri. I'm not Chlotz for Star God's sake. I actually have self control, and tact... okay, well I have self control.

It wasn't? Strange! I thought actual numbers would be easier for you to understand. Did I make a mistake? I'm sorry.

No, Torri. You didn't... *sigh* I just wanted to chat, okay?

Oh, that makes sense! OK then.

Alright, conversation is back on track then.

You seem to really like that spot. I see you sitting there staring out the window a lot.

Uh-uh. I don't like this place right now.

"Right now"? What do you mean?



But it is closed right now, which means this is scenario A.

Riiight.

It's not complicated. It's very simple.

Yes, Torri. It's very simple.

Wake... Are you just agreeing with whatever I say?

No, Torri. I understand the concept of scenarios.

Even my classmates often say that I'm strange. Which seems strange to me.

My cleaning chores are complete, so my work for today is all finished. The Magecraft Club does not meet today, so all that's left is to go home and sleep.



Yes, Torri. I understand how growth works.

I can't wait to get bigger faster.

Don't get ahead of yourself. I don't want another Serina on my hands.

It's too early to sleep, anyway. Why don't you come with me and we get something to eat? Take that whole "getting bigger" thing one step at a time.

OK.

That reminds me. I was hungry!

Did you know that when you're hungry, your mind and body slow down?

Then let's go eat.

*yawn* I'm starting to get sleepy...

*sigh* Come on, march. I'm not letting you sleep here in the middle of the classroom.

OK. Let's go.


-Downtown-

Ooh... There's a bunch of things here.

Look! There's tons of stores over here, too! Just wow!

Torri! Stop darting around like that!

(God, it's like trying to corral the Star Children. Maybe Enzea was on to something with that toddler leash idea.)



Hello there!

Takoyaki? Is this takoyaki? I've never seen it before, but it looks good!

I'll take two, please. Quick.

Thanks, and enjoy!

A little on the intense side it appears, but at least he seems like a really courteous dude. Rock on, takoyaki guy.



I'm really good at monster slaying, what can I say? And no, I'm not eating them both. Here.

Huh? Wow. Are you giving one of them to me?

If it keeps you still for five minutes, then yes.

I don't have any allowance left this month, so I thought I'd go hungry. I was going to just watch you while nibbling on my finger.

The hell, Torri? I thought Ruby was supposed to be looking after you? Does she not feed you or something?

Then again, I guess I shouldn't be shocked about that possibility.

That's so good! I really have to give you a proper thank-you. "Thank you very much for the takoyaki."

Don't ask me why Torri puts certain sentences in quotation marks. I don't recall an explanation for that. It may just be part of her 'quirkiness'.



It's fine, Torri. It's yours. Eat it whenever you want to,

OK! Then here goes me eating it! Ooh, it's hot. Very hot! *much* *munch* Mm, sho good! Ish sho good!

...Oh no! It was so good that I ate it all. I'm sorry I didn't wait for you.

'Ate' is a bit of an understatement. You basically inhaled that thing.

Do you think I'll get bigger now?

Keep eating like that and you'll definitely get bigger, at least in one sense of the word.

OK. Thanks. You're a good person. This was a good day. Mm-hm. My stomach's full now, so it's time I go home to sleep a bit.

*Torri leaves*

(In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have said that. She seems to have a habit of taking things literally.)

She's certainly going to be a handful.


-Redux-

Go ahead and show me what you've got, Torri.

I was told by the others that you require a phrase to be recited. What phrase must I recite?

I need to see you transform before I can figure that out. Don't worry, you'll get one in due time. Now come on, let's see it.

Very well.

Typical NSFW warning goes here, although Torri's is actually not bad at all. It's similar to Serina's in the sense that there aren't any creepy closeups.
Torri Transformation




Torri gets a 'ring of light' style transformation. The kind where a glowy ring scans over her body and the costume just materializes.



The costume change portion is a lot like Serina's. It's incredibly brief and thankfully doesn't linger on any parts of her body.






Torri's design is a shout-out to Monokuma, from Spike Chunsoft's Danganronpa series. She has the same black/white divide, along with red eyes. I assume that's what they were going for anyway. Maybe it was just a massive coincidence.

And of course because she's the small weird/quirky/supernatural/otherworldly girl, she has to have the largest Dusk Breaker. In this case a big fuck-off Gatling gun that looks like it weighs twice as much as she does and is roughly the same height.

This is a trope I don't really like. It's kind of cool on rare occasions (I think it worked fairly well with Gretel in Black Lagoon), or funny in a juxtaposition kind of way, but I usually just end up rolling my eyes whenever it does crop up. It's one of those things where it looks like they are trying too hard to make this little girl 'cool' or 'intimidating'.



It makes no fucking sense here, either. Despite the fact that Torri is wielding a gun you'd typically see mounted on a Missile Destroyer, she is actually the fastest of the heroines. Not only that, ATK is somehow her worst stat. I think the only heroine with a lower ATK than Torri is Serina. Chloe is about even, and Ellie (the girl using a magical girl staff and whom also has ATK as her lowest stat) still hits harder than Torri.

Torri's stats are all over the damn place. Her TEC and LUC are average. Her ATK is tied for worst in the game. Her MAT is almost just as bad as her ATK. Yet she's fast as shit and can take a beating both physically and magically.

What do you even call that build? She's not a fragile speedster, because she has crazy defenses. She isn't a mighty glacier, because she has the highest speed. Is there a word that isn't coming to my mind right now which describes a very fast, very durable character that hits like a newborn kitten?

Is that acceptable?

How... exactly are you carrying that thing?

Are you referring to my Dusk Breaker? It's very light, so it's easy to carry.

...Right.

(Black and white color motif, huge-ass Gatling gun, blank expression... what in the hell am I going to do with her!? There's no theme! I need more research, or another generic catch-phrase...)

Is something the matter?

Hm? Oh, no. I tend to get lost in thought during these sessions. I ju--

Torri?

Yes?

Why are you missing a shoe?

Oh, I seem to have forgotten it. That is very strange.

How do you forget a piece of your costume? You can make it materialize on you.

*sigh* Never mind. Forget it. You do you. Let's break for now. I'll meet up with you later.

Very well.

(Just when I manage to get Ellie settled, Torri comes right along and replaces her. This is a total disaster.)


-1st-Year Classroom-

Hey, Torri. Magecraft Club not meeting today?

The Magecraft Club is off until tomorrow.



The Magecraft Club is something Torri joined at some point. It's basically Robotics Club. They make golems and equipment which run on Star Energy. The database says that it has been in operation since the Academy was founded.

If that's the case, then why don't we go back together?

Go back together? Back to where?

I mean back home.

But that would be strange...

Me asking you that is strange?

No, not that. I'm glad that you asked me. I usually go home alone. I'd watch my other friends go home together and always thought it was nice.

I'd love to go home with someone some day.

Okay. So then why is me asking you to do just that considered strange?



So, if you're going home with me, does that mean I'll be living with you now? No one told me anything about that. That's why I thought it was strange.

That's not what that expression means, Torri. It means I'm asking you to walk back part of the way together, then split off to go to our own homes.

Ohh, so that's what you meant.

I literally thought you would be living with me in my home, so I was surprised. And I don't have any pajamas or underwear for men, so I didn't know what to do.

I was worried that my allowance wouldn't be enough to buy new clothes.

What was Enzea thinking, leaving you in Ruby's care? It's like you need constant supervision.

...I'm sorry I made a mistake.

Don't worry about it. It's your so called 'guardians' that I'm ticked off with.

OK. You really are a good person.

Well then, are we going home together part of the way? That sounds good. I have to take the class journal to the teacher's office. Can you wait here?

*And so Torri wanders off to god knows where. Wake waits*

She sure is taking her time. She better not have gotten distracted by a vending machine or something.

*Torri rushes in*

*pant* *pant* Whew... I'm sorry. Were you waiting long?

No, it's fine. Don't sweat it.

Then, shall we go home together? That would be so good!


-Downtown-

Sorry we're not taking the usual route. I needed to swing by a few shops.

That's good too! I usually don't come this way. It's a nice change of pace.

Looks like some of the places are closed up because of damage. Must have been a monster roaming around here recently.

(Note to self: Investigate Sasami as possible culprit behind increased monster activity.)



You want to get some more of it?

No, that's OK. Ooh, over there! A jewelry shop! These glittering accessories are so cute... and so pretty...

Slow your roll there, food is one thing but jewelry is out of the question. If you want earrings or something then I can dig some out of the gift pile back in my dorm room.

Ooh, there's more shops over here!

*Torri fucking books it*

(Damn money grubbing little-)

Wait! Torri!? Where the hell did she go!? You have got to be kidding me...

Damn it, I have to track her down.


-Forest-

.....

*pant* *pant* There you are. How did you manage to get all the way out here in such a short amount of time? The hell are you made of?

Oh... What's the matter? There's spiderwebs all over your hair.

You're one to talk. You've got your share of them too. Here, let me get them out. Hold still.

It's OK. It doesn't bother me. Never mind that, just look.



Yeah, that's a bird's nest all right. There's some baby chicks peeking out of it, too. Pretty sharp eye you've got there.

Mmhmm. I'm proud of my good eyesight. It helps me see the birdies better.

The birdies are so cute.

Got a thing for birds, huh?

Mm-hm. They're cute. And I like them for other reasons, too.

And those other reasons would be...?

...Oh, it's nothing.

It wouldn't be good if the birdies saw us and got scared. So I'm going home.

Works for me. I need to take a shower and gets these damn webs out of my hair.

And that wraps Torri's formal introduction. As mentioned previously, Torri will be part of the big vote at the end of Chapter 4. We still need to get Feene on board before we start thinking about maybe benching Chloe, Narika, or Ellie.

Before we go, there's a matter we have to discuss. It's about Difficulty Curve.



Two new sub-Labyrinths are open, and one of them contains a very special quest.

If you've been following the LP from the start, you know that I didn't so much as break the Difficulty Curve's spine, as it stumbled backward and fell onto my knee. It's kind of sad. Its just been kind of laying there in a crumpled heap, every now and again making a futile swipe.

The choice is, do you take pity on poor Difficulty Curve? Maybe stay at its side, wait for it to heal up, maybe see if it can recover enough to be able to take a genuine swing at you. Who knows? Maybe it can bounce back from the first two dungeons and really surprise you?



Or do you strap on your steel toed boots and fuck its shit up?

If you're playing the Steam version that has all the DLC included, then you have a choice to make. Vita/3DS players don't get this choice since the DLC has apparently been taken offline.



Damn right it will, Felicia.

This was carried out before the Team A(wful) replacement by the way. This is how Torri came to get the stats necessary to create Rangers.



Anyway, Torri is rocking with us this time. Chloe has dibs on Chapter 3's story dungeon, Narika and Ellie had their turns, Fuuko got most of the Prologue section, and screw Serina.

Drowning Sea is where you can get access to the first of the EXP Grinding DLC quests. You pick them up from the AngelMarker Lab board.

The dungeon is nothing special outside of that. You can get Mercenary Manual drops here as well, but the enemy line-up is largely the same as every other dungeon. Some notable things did happen during this trip though.




For one thing, I ran into a dungeon trap. Dungeon traps are little circular spots on the floor that are currently invisible until you hit them. Certain Star Children classes can get skills that make them visible later on.

This particular trap hid the strength of enemies on this floor, which causes them to show up as grey versions.



You can also see that a little caution ring shows up to tell you where the trap you ran into is, so that you don't run into it over and over again like a dumb ass.



The other notable thing is that a purple trap chest finally hit me with a damn trap! I only had to open like 150 of the things before it happened.

This is one of the more annoying variety of chest traps. Not because it might be dangerous if your HP is low or something. It's mainly because it's annoying to have to kill every single thing in the room just to leave.

Every enemy in this dungeon is small fry compared to Sagitta. I avoided them whenever I could, so this trap was really irritating.



Finally, something popped up that I must have skipped over this entire time, likely due to me constantly speeding through battle as fast as possible.

Every now and then, one of the heroines you didn't take with you will send you a message that you can answer. Answering it uses Wake's turn, but it provides BP if you do it. This time it was Ellie, here is what she has to say:



Unfortunately, I was not asked to enter the Labyrinth today. Are you worried about taking me with you because I'm so tiny? I know I might not look powerful, but I'm still an S Rank. Please, don't worry about taking me with you. I may even surprise you in battle. The Star Children are small, and they're very strong too. I've never believed that strength and size are always related. Speaking of the Star Children... Um... I'm also up for Classmating whenever, too. Anyway, please don't be modest. You can ask me to do a lot of things with you. I'll follow you into the Labyrinth or into Hell itself. I'll go wherever you go. Well, I hope to see you at the Academy. --Ellie.

Hot damn, that was a lot of redundant words. All the heroines are capable of sending a message. Some of them just write words of support or tell you that they are worried about you, others (such as Ellie) try and guilt trip you into taking them along in the Labyrinth next time.



That's not important. This is the guy we're on the hunt for. They show up on Floor 5, so getting to them the first time takes a fair amount of time, but from now on you can just start on this Floor whenever you go back in.



These adorable little gift store plushies are called Sagitta. They are pretty fast, which impedes your ability to Chain them, but managing to do that is only extra icing on top of the cake.

Other than speed, these guys don't have much going for them. They aren't meant to be a threat. They are meant for one thing and one thing only...



Sweet, sweet EXP. Look at that bullshit. Beelzebub, the damn boss of chapter 2, forked out 400 exp. The monsters in this dungeon only give out about 90 to 110. This 30-second battle paid out as much experience as me fighting 54 battles with standard enemies.



Wake gained 1 level, while Torri shot up by 5. I tested this afterward with our level 1 Star Children that were voted the new Team A(wful), and they all gained 16 levels from this one battle.

That's insane. I will be making limited use of this quest, mainly to save time and give new Star Children a running start. If you wanted to abuse this though, then the Difficulty Curve we chewed up and spit out can be then turned into a smooth paste.

This isn't the only EXP grinding mission, either. There are more of these things with higher level variants that drop more EXP. These quests are also repeatable, and you can fight 10 groups of them before needing to go turn in and re-accept the quest.




Next time, we do a quick update on our three focus heroines. That way I won't need to dump it all at once at the end of the chapter.