Part 57: Entry Fifty: January 2nd, 2010
Entry Fifty: January 2nd, 2010
Mood:
DeterminedMusic: Eye of the Tiger, baby!
We don't have long. A month used to seem like quite a while, but now it feels like it could pass in an instant. We've got to use what time we have wisely, or, well...let's not think too hard about that.
Oh, it's a new year now. I've gotta admit that I barely even noticed, what with everything that's been going on.
That, and as Ken said, it's not like there was anything spectacular going on.
Junpei's the same as always, that's for sure.
Akihiko: No, I don't believe in superstitions.
Junpei: Me either...
Ken: Oh, that's too bad. Yukari-san and the others are already there. They're all wearing kimonos.
You can bet our ears perked up when we heard that.
Akihiko: Hold it right there, Junpei.
Junpei: Uhh, what...?
Akihiko: You're going to the shrine, aren't you?
Junpei: N-no, I'm not, I'm just going for a walk...
Akihiko: Oh yeah? Well I'm going with you, then. I'm bored.
Ken: Oh, I'll go too!
Junpei: Alright then, let's go.
So we all headed off to the shrine.
The ladies were indeed dressed in kimonos, as we found when we got there.
It was a glorious sight. I nearly wept with the brilliance of it all.
At least I kept my mouth shut, though; Junpei opened his and firmly inserted his foot.
Anyway, this is why we can't let Nyx bring about the Fall!
Sure, girls in kimonos might seem small, but it's still one of many reasons we have to fight!
Even Junpei and Akihiko agree, clearly.
And Ken...well, uh, he's Ken.
I hope Yukari didn't break Junpei's foot when she stomped on it, that'd be a problem when we do battle with the ultimate incarnation of death. Just saying.
Everybody was all abuzz about drawing fortunes during the new year...
...so I went to do the same.
I drew "fair luck", so I guess that means that the battle against Nyx is going to come down to our skill instead of luck.
We all talked about our wishes for the coming year before we left.
Really, we all just want there to be another year.
...as far as I'm concerned, though, there's no question. We're not gonna give up; we've already made our decision.
Back at the dorm that evening, Elizabeth called to tell me that the last part of Tartarus was finally open...
...so you can guess where we were headed.
Before we went in, I checked out Aigis' new Persona. Athena is similar to Palladion, but includes the ability to heal at later levels.
I stopped by the Velvet Room to see if Elizabeth had any new requests. It turned out she did, but it wasn't one I'd be able to finish anytime soon.
Instead, I headed into Tartarus and started clearing out Shadows with Thanatos. It was almost embarrassingly easy.
It didn't take long to find the path up to the final block, Adamah.
We were nearing the top; Fuuka's scanning ability let us know that Tartarus was rapidly running out of Guardians to throw at us.
I can't say I minded.
There was only a little bit more to go...
...before we'd be ready to fight Nyx.
So we pushed on, eventually making it to the first Guardian of Adamah.
Tartarus Boss 21 - Noble Seekers (Archive damaged!) (There isn't much to say about these guys; they're typical hack and heal bosses. If you keep support skills up, they're not really a big deal.)
With our newfound resolve, they weren't much of a problem.
That's a good thing, too.
I doubt Nyx is going to be a cakewalk.
Up and up and up we went, with Fuuka encouraging us along the way.
It wasn't easy...
...but we had a purpose, and that's what counts.
There was another Guardian waiting for us a few floors up.
Tartarus Boss 22 - Carnal Snakes (Archive damaged!) (Another easy one made even easier by their tendency to use Dekaja and Dekunda. Since we have mass support skills, it's easy to keep casting them to make the Snakes waste turns. Other than that, it's more hack-and-heal.)
With another Guardian down...
...we were another step closer to our goal.
Nothing was gonna stop us.
Not even yet another Guardian, which was a few more floors up.
Tartarus Boss 23 - World Balance (Archive damaged!) (This one's a little more complex, though the same basic strategy works. The big issue here is that it uses a lot of magic, which makes using Makarakarn or a Magic Mirror to block it seem like a good idea. It is not - doing so causes it to respond by casting nothing but Megidolaon, which isn't affected by reflecting skills and does a hell of a lot more damage.)
Down went another Guardian...
...and up we went.
Two more to go, and we'd finally be at the promised place.
So we kept on going, smashing through Shadows along the way.
If we'd been this determined from the start, things probably would've been a lot easier.
Oh well.
Up next: the fourth Guardian.
We weren't quite prepared for it yet, so we took a day to relax and get some supplies before we headed back up the next evening.
For instance, I went to the Velvet Room and messed with my Persona repertoire a bit. Chernobog, for instance, isn't a very powerful Persona by himself, but he does come with Null Slash...
...which fused nicely onto Garuda. With our preparations complete, we headed back to battle the Guardian.
Tartarus Boss 24 - Fierce Cyclopses (Archive damaged!) (This is one of the most difficult bosses in the game, and it's a rude awakening after the previous three being cake. These guys focus on extremely powerful physical attacks, so unless you prepare beforehand with a Persona that nullifies Slash attacks, you're in deep trouble and will probably be overwhelmed. Even Attack Mirrors don't work, because there's three of them.)
We won, of course...
...leaving us with only a little more to go to reach the top.
This only steeled our resolve even further.
The final Guardian awaited us on the 252nd floor, but I knew we'd need to prepare a bit more first, so we headed back to the entrance so I could stop by the Velvet Room.
First, I created Raphael...
...then used him to create Seiten Taisei, who had Null Rage, a skill I'd need for the upcoming battle.
Oh, and you know all those attribute-boosting cards I've been saving up and never using? Yeah. I gave them all to Seiten Taisei, resulting in the monstrosity you see here.
Tartarus Boss 25 - Jotun of Grief (Archive damaged!) (This is the final Tartarus boss, and it's also the most irritating. Nothing harms it except Pierce attacks, and it absorbs everything else. I'm sure you can imagine the variety of hilarious tactical problems this causes. The "right" way to fight him is to use Yukari, Ken, Aigis, and Minato with a spear, but we haven't actually used Ken or Aigis at all. The easiest way to beat him, then, is to pump up a high-level Persona with stat boosting cards and fight him with Yukari playing support for Minato. This might be a bit cheap, but it sure as hell beats grinding up Aigis and Ken.)
That was the last of the Guardians, and we were finally free to make it to the top.
Nyx was going to be waiting for us in twenty-nine days...
...and you can bet we weren't going to disappoint her.
Finally, we made it to the 254th floor - the final floor of Tartarus.
When the 31st arrives, this is where we'll return...
...and where the final battle would take place.
With that, the last part of my psyche that had been locked by Aigis sealing Death inside of me was released...
...and I felt an immense surge of power.
(Messiah is...well, he's that guy. Yeah. THAT guy. We're going to battle against the incarnation of Death by summoning that guy. I don't think this game could possibly be any more metal.)
We're ready for the final battle now; all that we have left to do is make our peace. We headed back to the entrance on our way out of Tartarus, but something seemed a little different...eh, no matter. We've got bigger things to worry about right now.
Much bigger things.
Coming up in the next entry: The Fall approaches...