Part 8: Day 4 - Story

Day 4: Story

Music: story 2


If not, this recent news will likely change your mind. After your arrival, the rate of energy output has increased by 13%. If you still don’t feel the significance of this figure, then let me add that it’s a record breaking percentage.



>I can take pride in that.


This means you are performing your role well. This shows that there should only be good news to come. A machine such as myself doesn’t flatter easily.



I remember your face the very first time you came here. You were so withdrawn… Face all gray and grim. And you were all nervous about my presence. Don’t worry, it’s okay for you to be happy now.

Ahh heck, she knows we're expecting her to try to kill us.

---

>I'm not sure…


Is it not normal to be happy in a situation like this? For your information, I had practically run here. All just to deliver this great news to you. That’s a figure of speech of course, but I did not expect you to react like this.



---

Routes Merge Here


Do you see that bottle of champagne on the table? Allow me to pour you a glass. Shall we toast? Ah, today’s occasion is not something as monumental as someone’s birthday, or the company’s day of founding.



I'm sorry, what.

It is just as it sounds. An employee has died in the line of duty.

When did this happen?! Everyone's still alive!



During maintenance, a wrench was dropped onto this clerk, designated Delta3. She did not survive the impact.

_{Man… she was the one who brought the good coffee.}

This entire conversation shows up regardless of if someone has actually died or not. Don't worry, we haven't actually lost anyone important yet.



They had known the risks from the beginning. The company grows, fertilized by their sacrifices. It’s as simple as that. I am sure they would have felt proud of themselves as they took their final breath. Accepting their deaths with equanimity would be the greatest respect you can pay to them. That is why I popped this bottle of champagne I’ve kept for so long.



>I'll drink the champagne.


To properly drink a glass of champagne, one should gently hold the lower stem of the glass, and then take it in lightly, savoring the bubbles. Perfect, just like that.

---

>I don't want to drink right now.


That’s fine, there will be many more occasions on which to toast. However, manager, please refrain from drinking alone when I’m not around. A toast is only worthy when there’s a companion around to clink glasses together.

---

Routes Merge Here

In summary: Apparently we are very good at our job, because efficiency is up! However, someone died yesterday and the corporate culture is such that we just drink to their memory without enacting any safety protocols. Angela's memory apparently has room for proper drinking etiquette, but not for the definition of spirit.

_{Goodbye, Delta3. You were always my favorite clerk.}

Moving on to Malkuth's next scene, and I suspect that the game didn't expect us to clear her mission quite this soon.

Music: Danger


This is Yesod! He's the head of the Information team. We'll be meeting him properly around day 6.

Trust me, I am the head of the Information Team. Even if your team were to suppress the Ordeals on their own, there’s too great a risk of extreme mental damage to your employees.





And this is Hod! She's the head of the Training team. We'll be meeting her on day 11.

See what I mean about this scene probably being intended to come later? I don't think they expected me to just grind out 8 meltdown works on day 3.

I am the Sephirah of the Control Team. I may make outrageous mistakes in all other aspects, but this role I know better than anyone else. I know how to handle employees on the verge of insanity. I even wrote down a code of conduct for it.



Please tell me if you happen to need it. I can always share a copy with you.

I— I’m fine, but that code of yours…



Weakness means elimination, the death of your place in my department. To work for the Control Team, the department that leads the corporation, signifies that you should be more capable than everyone else. Manager, please say something to them. You’ve been watching what’s happened to those weak-willed employees from the comfort of your office, haven’t you?



*hits the mute button* _{Yeah, I've been here three days, I'm not touching this one.}





We should meet up again sometime, all of us Upper Sephirot!



The mental corruption levels of the Control Team’s employees exceeded the maximum threshold. And just what did the other Sephirot do in the meantime? Sit and watch? The Control Team has failed to handle the Ordeals. Supplement the staff immediately and suppress the Ordeals. I will ask for support from the other departments.

Angela… we don't have any other departments, and the agents are just fine.

Then this will have to wait until we can. I believe four more departments' worth should suffice. As to the agents… I included Malkuth herself in the employee mental corruption level calculations. Does this clarify?

...Ah. Carry on.

In summary: H'okay, a lot to unpack here. Malkuth is really big on just disposing of Agents who don't meet standards, so much so that it unsettles her fellow Sephirot. She's also acting like a patronizing jerk. There's stuff about Ordeals here, too, which ties into our new mission! I lost the original screenshot along with the day 3 gameplay footage, but I pulled all the text from the files directly, so here it is:


Now, Ordeals are that thing Malkuth was talking about earlier, the strange beings that come into existence in the hallways every now and again. They show up as you go through the day, and their power levels vary based on the time of day associated with the Ordeal. In order, they are Dawn>Noon>Dusk>Midnight.

Dusk Ordeals do not appear until at least day 21, so it'll be a while before we can get back to this mission. That means we're free to do whatever we want for the next couple of days!

Next time, on Lobotomy Corporation: Mirrors! New titles! I finally explain what 'PE' box stands for!




R.I.P, Delta3
Day 1-Day 3
Clerk, background character, coffee-maker
"She totally appeared on screen one time."