Part 110: 01/22/10 - 01/23/10: Adamah The Earth Below (Part Three)

We can almost see the end now. Less than 10 days between us and Nyx...

Memories of the School



Listening Student: Yup! I'm going to school overseas!
Gossiping Student: Overs...? This is the first I've heard about this...! I-I'm your boyfriend...! You have to tell me this stuff!

> The first bell has rung.

I'm sure this won't be super relevant or anything. Even if it comes up again, it likely won't amount to much.



Friday means we've got no real choice of who to spend time with. Could pick "no one" but... why would you?

Mistic
no thats not an error on my part this really plays here



You're Kiyoshi-san's grandmother, correct? Greetings.
Oh, you're those nice students from before. Hello!
You have great timing... I was just thinking about seeing you two again.
If you want the truth... Mewlie has disappeared again.
Again?
Well, don't worry. At least this time, we have an idea of where she may have gone.
No... That's all right.
I believe that this time... Mewlie went in search of something.
In search of something...?



When cats perceive their life is nearly over... they leave on their own to wait for the end.
Mewlie even came to say goodbye to me before she left.
And so... I don't think I'll need you to find her anymore.
I just wanted to thank you for letting us see each other one last time before the end.
Mewlie-san... died...?



Hi, nice to see you again. My cat wandered off to go die in solitude. Have a nice day!

Um...!



You're not alone!
I'm certain of it!
Well, of course I'm not alone...
As long as there are people left in the world, no one can truly be alone.
I'm fine as long as there are people like you around!
Miss...
Bless you, dear girl, for your kindness to an old lady.
...Toodle-oo.



Was Mewlie-san happy...?
I'm sure she was happy.
Was Mewlie-san... grateful to have been born...?
I'm sure she was.
For what purpose...was Mewlie-san born...?
No one can say.
Life...



What reason does life have to exist?
To live is to be connected to people, but life eventually ends...
Parting seems to be a natural and inevitable aspect of life...
An unavoidable end...



I wonder... will the day come when I must part with you forever, too...?
......
I do want to live, but that's not all...!



With you...!
What... What is this feeling!?
What... do I want to do...?

> You can sense Aigis' feelings for you...





I'm sorry for getting upset so suddenly...
...I'll be heading back.

> You decide to go back to the dorm.

It hasn't come up before, but the Aeon link does not auto-rank up. It does require points like normal; getting to rank 8 from here requires 1 point. This scene gives 0.

This late in the game, that sounds like a problem. Turns out, that's exactly what we need. You'll see.

Living With Determination -Iwatodai Dorm-



Since that couple by the front gate mentioned the career thing, guess what everyone in the dorm is talking about!

Something as trivial as whether one's parents are strict or lenient...
...will affect how that person learns to relate to others.
It's a very complex issue, indeed.



As an anti-Shadow weapon, I did what I was ordered to.
My future was decided for me.
So, choosing my own future will be a new experience for me.
But... I will do my best.



Well, I can only give you one piece of advice...
Start worrying... now.



Mitsuru decides to be awkward and calls it something different, because of course she does.

Of course I have.
Good. Speak with confidence when you meet with your teacher.



Why do we have to do this crap right before a battle? Dammit, I've got too much on my mind...
Ya think I can just skip it?



It wasn't a difficult decision to make. I mean, I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do besides study.
So, do you think I can really say that I "decided" my future?
Not really.
Well, it's fine for right now, but I can't just go to school forever.
I need to have a broader outlook for my future.



Whatcha doing over here all on your own, Yukari? That hasn't happened for a while now.

Why do they have to talk to us about what we want to do in the future now?
What about you, Makoto-kun? Have you decided what you're going to do?
Yes, I have.
Oh, then it should be a breeze for ya.
Have you?
Yeah, I've pretty much made up my mind.



Newscaster: However, with the cultists around, please be careful...

Not much of interest on the TV, unfortunately. But, but but! All this talk about the future made me remember that there's something else I've kinda been neglecting this month so far.



And it's updated relatively recently, even.

The Not-So-Hidden Camera

Silence



Might even be literally today. Sometime this week, at least.



Looks like this might be Koromaru's unique scene, but that doesn't make sense. He's a dog, and he's looking... right at the camera. Huh.



Yeah, so, Koromaru saw a camera just right there on the ceiling of the 3rd floor hallway.

You know, Future Consultation is coming up.
Yeah. What are we supposed to say during all that?



Awww, if you sleep wherever you want, you'll catch a cold...
......?





I guess Koromaru told her about the camera just now, since she's also looking right at it.

Does that mean... it's been recording whoever walks past here?
Oh yeah... I forgot that you can check out anywhere in the dorm from the command room...
Does that mean one has been placed in each of our rooms as well?
I-I never thought about it...
But... probably so... I used the system last year...
Huh? I-Is that true...!?



Well, Junpei might have once upon a time, but he'd also likely be scared shitless of Mitsuru so that'd probably be a good enough incentive to not do the thing.

......
If they did... I'm gonna kick the living crap out of them before Nyx can get its hands on 'em...!
Yukari-san, your vital signs are fluctuating... Are you in danger of "dying of shame"?
Aigis...





...You're right.
The camera's recording right now.
Hello...?

> The recording ends here...

End

Not much of a final scene for this thing, but at least it makes it clear in the scene itself that it's the last one. Does remind me that it's hella odd that no one noticed the older recordings anytime when the machine was "broken" and we were allegedly coming here to try and repair it. Odder still that little notice of new recordings just got quietly dropped apropros of nothing.



Anyway, Saturdays are special! We have actual choice of who to hang out with today!



We could spend the day on Aigis to get the points via a hang out. That's 100% viable and works... but Mitsuru is the better option for us. We can get the points for Aigis on a day that doesn't clash with anything after all.

Joy



I used my authority as Student Council President to make sure of it.
This is the first time I've ever done anything like this, you know...



What I want to say is...

> Mitsuru seems flustered.

Th-The thing is...
I need to apologize to you...
I'm so sorry about what happened the other day.
That makes me happy.
...!
R-Really...?
......



The other day...
I ran away after saying all those things to you.
...I can't believe I did that...
I'm so sorry...



I just can't believe I said it in front of so many people...
But, that's not all...
You've opened up a whole new world to me...
A world full of happiness and surprises...



......
Yuki...



......
...I feel like I'm going to die of embarrassment.

So do I, don't worry. The fremdschamen in this scene and Mitsuru's previous one is almost tangible.

But, I had to tell you how I feel...
I couldn't hide it from you any longer.
Phew...
...I feel so free now.



Of course, because of my situation, I can't let anyone know about this.

> Mitsuru seems to trust you.

> Your relationship with Mitsuru has intensified...





...From now on, I'll only call you by your first name when we're together.
It may feel a little awkward, but that's what I want to do.
Well, I no longer feel shackled by my family name...



Well, no, that's just objectively untrue.

......
Makoto...
T-Take good care of me...
Stay with me... just a little while longer.

> The hours flew by as you talked with Mitsuru.

> Later, you and Mitsuru returned to the dorm separately.

Living With Determination -Iwatodai Dorm-



Just in case it wasn't already super obvious, Akihiko lets us know that entering Tartarus at the end of the month is a one-way trip. We can't leave, because that'd end January 31st and we wouldn't get a second shot at Nyx.

Plus side: at least folks won't get Tired/Sick! Weary Thrust is useless!



Speaking of Tartarus, let's go finish the penultimate bit, fuck it why not. Didn't put this one to a vote for a simple reason. Nothing too major, don't worry about it.



Bringing these guys this time for, uh, elemental coverage? Sure, let's go with that.

Persona
one final remix and its technically the third but i think it works better last



Got a big ol' batch of new Shadows here. In fact, it's all of the remaining ones in Adamah... but two. Two Shadows are gated by the next boss. Yep.



Speaking of new stuff, now that we've beaten the World Balance and gotten to the final stretch of Adamah we can get rank 10 cards. You probably expected as much since the World Balance came alone and that means this is the second "half" so it still fits the pattern.



Next boss is on floor 244 and Fuuka manages to find 'em when we make it to floor 240. Back to normal Fuuka levels, I see.



This DOES give us a Judgement rank, at least. I guess the last one was so embarassingly bad that the sheer shame negated the rank up.



And hey, here's a neat new weapon for Yukari. This one has a Crit Up added effect so she's not gonna actually use the bow of a real Japanese archer who's become a mythical legend in his own right. Sorry, Yukari.

Mass Destruction / Wiping All Out



Anyway, new Shadows! First up is the Devious Maya. It sucks. It's a Maya, that's not a surprise. This is the one the Hanged Man spawned in that fight, as you might remember. It was Weak to Ice there, but it's Null here as a cheeky little shake up. That's basically it as far as interesting things go.



Wrathful Book is next and it has a pretty simple elemental loadout. Junpei DOES have the Laevateinn back (and will until/unless Makoto hits level 73) so he can one-shot them with a basic attack. Poison Mist is cute because it requires extra effort to negate at this point, but it's... it's Poison Mist. No one cares.



Platinum Dice are a little bit of extra hassle compared to what we're used to from dice. They're not weak to instant death and they resist a lot of things. Have a tendency to come in packs, though, so Maziodyne makes quick work of them. Akasha Arts and God's Hand might be scary on paper, and they have 58 Strength for good measure, but their Agility and Endurance are their lowest stats (that matter; Magic does not count) so they're pretty flimsy.



Eternal Eagles are very, very simple. They like Wind. They REALLY like Wind.

They do not, however, like Curse. Die For Me! demolishes the fuck outta them, so...



Carnal Snake is back having been demoted from being a miniboss with super exploitable AI. It has a big list of varied skills, but it... it still just sucks. It gets oneshot by either Makoto or Mitsuru. Sometimes comes in a pair with an Eternal Eagle. And whoops its not resistant at all to Curse.



The Nemean Lion, famed for its impenetrable hide and fierce powerful claws sharper than any metal... is a goddamned pushover. It's weak to Fire and Curse. That's shameful. You should be ashamed, Nemean Beast. Ashamed!

It DOES have 60 Strength, so Power Charge God's Hand is very dangerous but... it's weak to Die For Me! so it never, ever, ever gets a chance.

Doesn't even have a single resistance. Not even fucking trying, jeez.



Harmony Giants are certainly trying to keep a balance between good Phys and Magic skills. Doesn't... doesn't really succeed though, does it? It has Megido at level 77, jeez. Tempest Slash is a crapshoot between being dangerous and a very minor inconvenience and Magarudyne is, well, Magarudyne. Things have had dynes for so long that it doesn't even register.

Weak to Mitsuru. It doesn't get turns. Next.



The Jotun of Evil is... well, repelling every element that isn't Physical is pretty evil. Adding the Evades is just cruel. Not worth the hassle of fighting, really. Always comes alone. Is a HP sponge that takes forever to whittle down and is not worth the effort.



And finally (for now) we have the Fierce Cyclops who, learning from other stuff, decided to not have a weakness. He also decided to pack a bunch of skills that require spreading himself too thin, so he didn't learn all that well I guess. Infuriate only matters if it hits... Junpei, Mitsuru and very rarely Makoto because of that that Slash Drain. If it hits anyone else, he's just killing himself faster.

Persona



Not much else to Adamah, really. Just gonna blitz to 244 so we can take on the boss. Just gotta head back to the first floor for the SP restore like normal...

Well, no. We really kinda don't need to do that. I'm doing that but it's not for the full heal this time.



Everybody out! Folks kept voting for solo boss fights, so fuck it. Let's do the last two of these things solo because we absolutely can.

Hanged Man Fierce Cyclops x3 (Portable)
yes you read that right

Master of Tartarus / Danger Zone



Fuuka, Fuuka, Fuuka. This fight I'm doing nothing but letting my guard down.



See, the Fierce Cyclops has decided it wants to be both a regular Shadow AND a miniboss in this final part of Adamah. Let's punish that hubris.



It has Vorpal Blade which seems dangerous, we've used it to great effect a lot, but Shadows can't get Great status.

Also we're immune to it.



Hey, here's something new! Primal Force is a powerful ST Pierce skill. It has a base power of 600 (yikes), an accuracy of 95% and a crit rate of 10% just for good measure. If we can get Kartikeya (level 70 Star) to level 77, we could use it ourselves at the earliest possible level.



Oh, but we're immune to it so it doesn't really matter here.



Just in case they're feeling frisky, they have... Mazionga...? For some reason.



We're immune to that as well.



If you get one low on HP and it gets a turn, there's a chance it'll cast Last Resort. An enemy only skill that... kills the user to deal Almighty damage.



We're not immune to that one, but who cares? This hits everyone when its used, by the way. Friend and foe alike all take damage from it. Except the last one is the only one that did it (because I let it!) so... oh well.

For what it's worth, Last Resort is... it's really bad. It seems like it might be equivalent to Megido, maybe Megidola, right? Except it kills the user. What a trade-off! But it gets better: Last Resort deals proportional damage. It deals damage equal to half your current HP. Yep.

That's worth a suicide move, alright. It killed itself to show that this is a fight I could not lose, even if I wanted to. Beautiful.



Okay, so: the Fierce Cyclopes cannot even pretend to hurt you if you have Abaddon and the Lightning Gloves. Or hell, just fuse an Elec resist onto Abaddon and you win. Or put Null Strike/Pierce off of Abaddon onto anything else (Kartikeya's good for that since he nulls Elec outright and has Myriad Arrows). It all ends the same.

The Cyclopes have 1700HP each, resist Slash, Strike and Fire, because Tartarus is a No Junpei Zone. They're immune to Elec as well, just to be annoying really. Pierce/Ice/Wind are the only real options here, but when you can solo the fight on Auto and never be in danger it doesn't matter.

End



I don't feel like I earned this.



Or this either, for that matter.

Now if you'll excuse me, I do need to step out of Tartarus for a moment to visit the Antiques store. Makoto's level 72, so we can make something special and very, very useful indeed...