Part 19: Day 9 - Gameplay

Day 9: Gameplay

Music: neutral 1


For our new research today, we immediately grab the other UI upgrade, so that we can see in straight numbers how much damage is dealt. It's worth noting that the interface rounds the damage to the nearest whole number, so a 5 could mean taking anywhere from 4.5-5.4 damage. This almost never matters.



Weapons get shuffled around, as I hand Talow, D.A.D, and Mr.Black a Christmas club. I completely forget to equip the suit decide we don't need better defenses today.





It's time. Remember to follow the protocols.



I'll head over to the new abnormality, then!



I'm… sorry, you want to run that by me again?

We're running an interdepartmental training program. As team captain, I have to pick someone to hang out with the Information team today. With your low temperance, you're ideal for the training regiment they have in mind.

Training regiment?

I asked Talow during suitup, he mentioned having you work with Laetitia.

Oh! She's a very good girl. It'll all be fine!

Alright… I guess I'll give it a shot!



Huh… wasn't this portrait blank before? Oh well. Hey good-looking! I bet you smell like jerky.

When we send an agent to work with our new abnormality, they get their picture placed on the frame. Additionally, they get a freaky green cloud and an icon over their head.



...huh. Did you just feel an ominous tingle?

_...no?

Must just be me, then.

Meanwhile, someone else in the facility at random gets the same symbol, and the same fog effect. Today's lucky winner is Tylana. Future uses by the same person do nothing else. We could theoretically use the portrait 10 times in a row to quickly unlock all of the information right from the start.



So we do that, of course. Portrait of Another World transfers damage from one agent to another, albeit with a 1.5x modifier on the damage being passed. Walking someone else in to set up a new picture kills the first agent. This means that right now we need to be careful about taking SP damage on Mizu, because Tylana only has 42 SP and would be taking extra damage if it's passed over.

I just can't get enough of looking at how cool I am.



Our first meltdown hits the portrait. This is always nice, since once someone's assigned to it it's free to just have them check back in.

Green Dawn incoming, Manager!

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to test the new interface.



So this is the Information team, huh? What do you guys do to pass the time around here?

We used to play word chain, but a couple of the clerks got in a lot of trouble for it being non work-related.

So it's report-writing?

Hey, you're going to need to learn the format eventually. Odds are you'll be replacing us when the new department opens.

There's a new department opening?

In about two days, probably.



Control team, take care of your Doubt ASAP.

With pleasure!



Every time damage is dealt from now on (including in containment cells), we see a nice number rise up out of the damage taker. Here, Bishop is dealing 11 B damage to the Doubt with his gun.



And here is a Doubt getting its face kicked in.

When damage is dealt, there will be either no text, or one of four other messages: Fatal, Weak, Endure, or Resist. These correspond to how much damage the agent is taking from the attack's color. With only 150 HP, this poor Doubt just melts, barely managing to scratch Mr.Black.



Mizu is sent to deal with the other Doubt, which has the poor luck of walking near Rudolta's door while D.A.D. was finishing up a work on it. The two team up and annihilate the ordeal.



Nice clubbin'.

Nice shootin'.

Strut back to the main room?

Yeah, sounds good.

With nothing else to do, we just pass the time working and farming up our weaker stats.

---

.

...what is it with him and smiling, anyways?

Do you not have his resume directly on hand? You could simply look.

...Oh, you're right. Let's see… he's from District 23, and he has a 5-year history in food services... Ah. That explains it.

Are food service jobs particularly strenuous, Manager? I lack any experience outside of this place, as I remain unable to leave this facility.

Let's just say I'm not surprised he's a bit off.



A little bit later, we get a meltdown on mirror. Since our agents are all relatively strong I had decided not to mirror them immediately and wait for something like this, just so we wouldn't lose any energy.



Mr.Black loses about 20 or so Justice and dumps it all in Temperance. Not ideal.



I've been here as long as you.

Oh! You're back. I was practicing! For talking to Tylana later.

She's been here for nearly a week. I don't think you have to encourage her anymore.

It's my duty as her superior officer!

Hey guys, I'm ba-



Thank… you? ...why do you smell like jerky?

It's the mask!



Another meltdown hits the mirror, and this time we give Talow's stats a roll.



I feel really just all of a sudden.

Talow is never touching the mirror again.

Meanwhile, with Forsaken Murderer's meltdown…

Yesod, Bishop is working with One Sin, and I have Mr.Black working with 1.76. Can you spare someone for the Forsaken Murderer's meltdown?

Mizu, get to it. We should be able to learn something from this.

Righty-o, boss!



As we can see, Mizu is taking 0 damage from the Forsaken Murderer, even though normally he'd be dealing ~1-2 per hit. Where is it going?



Just got this new hat, and now I'm having a pounding headache… The hell?

As advertised, it's transferred to Tylana and boosted by 1.5x what it would have been. Because of this, no matter how much damage Mizu would take she counts as taking 0 damage. This means that the Portrait is absolutely terrible for most training!

After mopping up the meltdowns, I decide to end the day off with a bit more training for Talow. With only 34 HP and wearing a 1.5x B armor, he may be in prime Laetitia training territory.



I do some quick math and determine that he'd have to hit 8 or fewer successes to have a realistic chance of dying, and because Laetitia is a good girl who has done nothing wrong in her life that isn't likely to happen. Time to power level Fortitude again.



_{Want… hat?}

No thanks. Sorry, but I try to avoid accepting gifts from Abnormalities.

_Oh…

More tea?

_Okay…



He nearly dies a few times, but that just makes the gains all the bigger.

Okay, pack it in everyone!



I end the day before the next meltdown can finish. There's two units in particular that need a closer look today:



First there's Talow, whose 93 justice here and 103 justice on his status screen earlier means that his title is granting +10 to his total justice stat. This is incredibly good. Then there's Tylana, who has basically gained 50 points of temperance in a single day. She's getting up there with our rank 5 agents, and she's hands-down the best HP tank our facility has.

Music: Acid Bleeding


Huh. That's not the usual track for this screen...

















WHAT THE FU-?!

Next time on Lobotomy Corporation:

New Story

Portrait of Another World