Part 42: For Whom The Bell Trolls

For Whom The Bell Trolls

[Music: Exploration]



Unsurprisingly, Jungo and Makoto both were runaway winners.



Like, straight up tied-first place.

...Are you listening? If your health exam is over, you can return to Nagoya.
......
...What's the matter? Do you feel ill?



[Music: A Moment of Rest]

What the-- He's asleep on his feet!
...Hrm?
Oh, are you awake? If your health exam's over...



Huh? Is he... sleepwalking?
Ah, Hibiki. Perfect timing. Would you look after him?
I can't really help him right now...

The JP's member walks away...

Thank you, come again... Hm?

Jungo looks about drowsily...



What should I do...?
Go boil up some rice.



Oh, a customer... Welcome...

Jungo stumbles away...

[Music: Exploration]



Well, that was... something. Plus side is Jungo's once again the first person to hit a higher Fate level than everyone else.



And Fate level 3 unlocks a new demon. Everyone unlocks a specific demon based on their personality and the like; they're usually around the low 30s in level (some are a bit higher though) so we're about where we should be for unlocking them anyway. Arahabaki's, uh, pretty awful to be honest! She's level 33 so we can't make one for a while anyway.



More importantly, we get a minor scene after going to the first event we pick. Seems like it could be time for today's death clip, but...



A complication?
Those "buds" of Megrez's have been seen in Osaka and Nagoya as well.
They must be causing those quakes. We're having a meeting about it at the Osaka branch.
Sorry for the short notice, but I'd like you to be present for that meeting as well.
Understood.
Thank you. You're not a JP's member, but Chief Hotsuin specifically requested you.



Until then, keep an eye out for those buds.
I'll see you at Shinbashi.

The call ends...



Now that we've spoken to Makoto over the phone, let's go do it again but this time in person.



[Music: A Moment of Rest]

The rioters? I remember Makoto asking me if I saw anyone
The didn't say anything specific. They say they saw people hanging aorund then...



Haha, maybe. Could be there are other people who had the same idea we did!
Considering how busy we are with Megrez buds, those people are pretty sad.



Ohhhhhh. I didn't think of that.
Holy crap, we're in trouble. If they find out, they're gonna kill us...!



...Kuze. And Shijima and Akie.
Whuh!? M-M-Makoto!?
Wh-What is it!?



Well? Have you seen any suspicious characters since the last time I asked you?
N-N-No! I definitely did NOT see anyone!
R-Really...?
Of course not? Why would I?



Oh! I know! You only THOUGHT you saw someone!
That's always a possibility. There aren't many reports of sightings, after all.
I knew it! That has to be what happened! Yeah!



...What!?
You're acting like guilty people on TV.
...Ahahaha! That's... so funny! Ha... Haha...
Should you be laughing now? I think you're already working up a cold sweat.
I, uh... Joe, c'mere for a second.
...?

You can hear Joe and Daichi talking to each other...



(Sorry about that, man. You were being so funny, I couldn't resist!)
(What is wrong with you!? Are you stupid!? Seriously, tell me you're stupid!)



The evil walks among us.
Uh... Yeah! The person who did this is somewhere in Japan!
......
I hope you find whoever's responsible for this heinous perversion!
R-Right...



Ahhhh-HAHAHA! Words to think about! See you later! Bye!

Daichi drags Joe away...

...? I don't know what's wrong with them, but they seem to be getting along.

Makoto watches, impressed, as Daichi and Joe leave...



Joe trolling the shit out of Daichi, and us basically just being there to watch, pushes us up a new Fate level with Makoto? Sure. This will help a ton anyway.



And since Joe came in a decent third, let's see what his response to all that is.



Hahaha! Daichi is so bad at keeping secrets!
It was hilarious. The more I prodded him, the deeper he dug his own grave.



Cool story, Joe.
Thanks! This is what having guy friends is all about!
He looked like a deer in headlights... Hehehe... I know I shouldn't laugh, but...

Remembering the incident seems to make Joe start laughing again...



I mean, it's all about the thrill of danger. I haven't done this since high school!
Haven't you ever done stuff like peeking into girls' locker rooms?
I did, and I got caught.



Let's go have a look together next time. I'll be waiting with a towel around my waist.

Joe seems to be in a good mood.

Joe/Daichi/Makoto's events are sorta connected in that they change depending on the order you do them in. Pretty neat that even something that minor was implemented, really!

[Music: Exploration]



Kamapua'a's level 32 so we're gonna get it before we can touch Arahabaki. It's also marginally better and adds a very nice skill to the fusion pool.



Next, we could go hang out with Daichi or, uh, Keita but I think we should get the plot out of the way. Don't really want to put it off much just yet.



Kuze! Over here! I apologize again for the short notice.
It's fine.
Thank you. Relax until we reach Osaka. We'll go directly into the meeting when we arrive.



So we will.



I've heard rumors about you. Yamato and Makoto both talk so much about you...
Wh...! O-Otome! What're you blabbering about...!?
Yamato too?
Oh... Y-Yes, that's right! Chief Hotsuin speaks of you frequently too...!



Ngh...! E-Enough! We have to leave for Osaka!
Haha... sorry. It seems everyone really does like you.
What about you?
Who knows? Maybe I'll end up liking you too.
Come on, it's almost time. Let's go.



I-I'm not in a rush...! It's because of something you said...

[Music: Silence]



Aaaah! Is it an earthquake?





That was a big one.

[Music: Connected Hearts]

Megrez popped out another bud... It seems the quakes are getting stronger in magnitude.
Reports indicated that cities are having trouble responding. We need a solution, quick.
Hey... The bridge... It's collapsed...



We can't turn back.
Ugh... This is a mess.
I'll report to the branch, and we should go to Osaka...



Hey, Makoto. Are you safe? How is everyone?
Oh, everyone's fine. That quake was caused by one of the buds, right?
Oh, probably. But... I'm in a bit of a spot.
You're in trouble? What happened?



...Well, shit. We can't go forwards nor can we go back. That's quite the problem!

What? That's bad. THe walkway to the entrance has also collapsed.
Really? Well, there's an emergency exit on the other side, so go there and--

[Music: Silence]



And, of course, demons spawn in now. Plus side is we get a fight for the first time in a while. None are new, though, oddly enough.

Fumi, wait... I just heard something.



Oh, no, wait. There's a Pyro Jack now. That's something new. Two others also popped in, but they're lurking just off-screen right now.

[Music: Countdown]

Demons!? What are they doing in a place like this?
Save it! The emergency exit is beyond the platform. That's where we're going!



The other new dudes are this Shiisaa here, and a Wendigo that's somewhat buffed over it's Devil Survivor 1 counterpart. Understandable since there it was the first boss and here it's just A Thing.

Let's try to make sure not to draw their attention.
The exit is over there. Don't let your guard down!



What about Otome?
Oh... Hibiki. You don't need to worry about me.



How reassuring.
Heh... but you'll protect me if things get dangerous, right? I'm counting on you.
Are both of you ready? Let's go, then!

[Music: Desperate Situation]



We know that Makoto's gonna be fine, since we've used her before. Otome's first real appearance is a mandatory use out of basically nowhere, so we have no idea what to expect with her.



Fortunately she's stacked like Hibiki only faster and slightly less noodlewristy. Otome is the only Mag/Vit character we can get, outside of building Hibiki like that, and she is therefore amazing.



Skill cracks here would be kinda annoying to get normally. Maragi, Mana Surge, Fire Boost and +Forget are all only on that Pyro Jack's party. We'd have to carefully send people at it killing of the right demons systematically. Thankfully, Makoto got Fate rank 2 not even 10 minutes ago so we can just fling Hibiki at it.



Maragi's just another generic MT base spell, so don't care about that right now. And never used +Forget outside of instances where its on demons by default. Kind of a waste of a slot otherwise, because there are waaaaaaaay better ailments.



Let's do something reckless. Gave Hibiki the Tlaloc and had him just warp right up to Pyro Jack. Switching that out for Leanan Sidhe before fighting of course.



We can't actually sneak around this map even if we wanted to, so let's not even try.



Considering we have nothing weak to fire, and in fact are loaded up with resistances to it/magic in general, there's not much of a worry here.



It's really a simple fight all things considered. The Pyro Jack comes in at level 31 so it might seem like we're majorly outclassed, but nothing could be further from the truth.



The entire map is really quite easy. Pyro Jack, Wendigo and Shiisaa outlevel us on paper... but they're not real threats. Very little here really is, since it's mostly old chaff we've seen a ton of already.



That they're a higher level works out nicely though. EXP scaling is great at moments like this.



Unfortunately, this speeds things up perhaps a bit more than we would have wanted. Defeating Pyro Jack is the trigger for, uh...

[Music: Countdown]



......!? Another earthquake!?
Aaaaaah...!



This. It falls offscreen, strangely, but yeah. We can't leave at all now.

...The rubble...! We can't go this way, either!
Damn... Now we can't get out.
--ello... --llo? Hello!? Can you hear me, Makoto?



You left me on the line. I've been waiting this whole time.
I'll explain later! The emergency exit's been blocked!
Yeah, I heard. What should we do..?
Fumi, can you hear me? It's Yanagiya!
Otome? Hey, I'm glad you're safe.



The Terminal? But that's still--
There's no other way! Fumi, connect the Terminal!
Uh... We're currently restoring. It's going to take more time. Can you wait?
...We'll be okay! Hibiki, Makoto, let's hold on for just a little while longer...



Well, lookie here! Humans! And I was getting bored, too! Come play with me!
Agh...! They noticed us! Both of you, be careful!

[Music: Desperate Situation]

Makoto and Otome have to walk around the old fashioned way, unfortunately for them. On the other hand, Otome does have some... uh, special dialogue.



Yeah, let's uh...



Just beat up this goose that tried to pick a fight with us first.



3 Hamsas will never be a threat. Like, ever. It's like 3 Itsumades but a slightly higher level.



This one is actually threatening, though. Mainly because it's not what it seems to be.



It's 2 more Kumbhandas who have Assassinate, but still haven't had the balls to use it.



That Mow Down was the only threatening thing they did. Shame too, because that was (yet again) probably the hardest enemy team. Technically.

One of these days they'll hit me with Assassinate and I'll bitch about that. For now, I'll just settle with bitching about not getting hit with Assassinate.



Oh, Ictinike. I had you back when you were actually good. Now you're just throwing yourself at me to die quickly.



When you have a team that's entirely weak to Ice attacking a team with two users of Ice magic who both have Ice Boost is not a great idea. Just sayin'.



Speaking of Ice, though, there is this Jack Frost over here too.

[Music: Attack]



And, uh, now there isn't. I might not have thrown Fire at this problem, but between Garm's overpowered Mow Downs and Otome/Kikuri-Hime's overpowered every spell ever that's not much of an issue.



We're just tearing through these guys left, right and center. Like I said, this is a really easy map. No weird dead spots, no tough enemies, no surprises. Just a bunch of stuff we've fought before, and some wonderful EXP pinatas.



...Okay, this Wendigo's entire party throwing out Mabufu/Ice Dances COULD be threatening if they hit Orthrus a lot.



Or the Dance could focus solely on Makoto. That works too.



And that is the closest anything is going to come to dying. Just gonna throw an Affection at it to be safe as soon as I can, but yeah.



Though now that we're down to just the Shiisaa a special, new demon spawns.

...New demons! Careful, everybody!
Oh, what an adorable demon. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Otome... There's no time for this. It's more powerful than it looks.
I know, I know. I can't underestimate it. Hee hee!



Otome's right, Neko Shogun is just plain adorable!

...Okay, but seriously. The cutiest little demon's the first Hero race we've encountered, and Hero's Mark means it could stick around longer than you would like normally. Not much of an issue since the only means it has of being possibly threatening is via a Power Charged Force Boosted Mazan, but that requires it to waste its first turn on it and then hope it gets an Extra Turn anyway. Which probably won't even happen.



Even then, using its defensive racial skill still requies it to get a turn in the first place. We've overwhelmed everything on this map so far. Does that go for the kitty too?

[Music: Shudder]



Well, we didn't get to take out its entire team before it went. Not that it matters when its Mow Down only deals a pitiful 40 to our squishiest demon.



The Flauros duo will never threaten us in any real way, and Leanan Sidhe's absurdly good Force Dances cut through Neko Shogun like its nothing.

So, yes, our Overwhelming victories continue even through the kitty miniboss(?). The game seems to think its one at least.



Now we just have to get Otome over to that Shiisaa and she can finish things up. It would have hung way back the entire time, and be the only source for Elec Boost in the fight wouldn't it.



Oh and now that we're basically done Fumi lets us know that she's lagging way behind. We could try and drag it out, I guess, but she works at the speed of plot so let's not bother.



Let's just finish this right here and now.



Its most threatening attack is a Power Hit on Otome. Her Vitality isn't super amazing yet, so that's kind of maybe a big deal. If she was alone.



But as-is, it barely registered as anything worth worrying over.



An underwhelming end to an underwhelming map.



We get a decent chunk of EXP for finishing it though. Pushes Hibiki up to level 30 which is a good thing, because level 30 is a deadzone for new fusions. Now we don't stagnate here or anything.

[Music: Over the Brink of Death]



I'm done on my side, too. I'm going to send the escape pole down.
Wait. What does that mean?



There we go. Grab on!
Will this pole take us to the Terminal?
That's right. Now move!



...Okay. Here we go!
Hehehe! It's like an amusement park. What fun!
...I don't know why, but the two of you together always makes me feel exhausted.



[Music: The Enigma Deepens]



What's the Terminal?
Oh... This is the Terminal. It's a transfer device, made from the best JP's technology.



It's been a thing in basically every SMT game of note ever. I'm sure someone will list exceptions, but let's not bother with arguing semantics. In the main series it usually pulls double duty as a save point as well as a fast travel system. Here it does neither for obvious reasons, though it is still kind of a fast travel system I guess.

But since Fumi went missing, they haven't been properly maintained.
"Maintain"?



...Man, what a busy day. Otome, Kuze, are you ready?
What's going on?
Heh heh heh... I'll explain afterwards. We're ready.
Well... Get ready for a shock. Let's go...!

[Music: Silence]







......Fumi must have sent us without adjusting the coordinates... Are you okay?
This is nice.



[Music: A Moment of Rest]



Y-Y-You! How dare you! Well, no, it's not your fault, I suppose.
Ouch... Oh... Hibiki, I'm sorry.



Hey, Makoto. I'm glad you arrived in Osaka safely.
W-W-We weren't safe! You didn't even check where you were sending us...!
Oh, it's all right. We made it safely.
Haha, that's good.



...Wait.
What? YOU'RE the ones who wanted to use it.
I figured that you'd lose more than that, what with the lack of maintenance...
...... I don't believe you, Fumi.
Well, I'm glad nothing happened. I did get a head start on restoring it.
Oh, yeah. I reported to Chief that you guys have arrived.



...Sheesh. Well, I'm just glad everyone's okay.

[Music: Exploration]

Yes, I'm glad too. Let's get to that countermeasure meeting. Yamato's waiting.
Hm...? Yes, you're right. Let's make our way to the main headquarters.

Before we do that, we have some other small things to deal with first.



Like read our new mail. We're unlocking new demons all over the place this time around, huh? Since we beat up Neko Shogun, we can make it once we hit level 31.



Speaking of making new demons, Pendragon is the only level 30 demon. I made this one by combining Tlaloc and Nalagiri. His weakness to both Fire and Elec is annoying since you can't patch both. Oh I could've made one using demons that have Anti-Fire and Anti-Elec between them, but he only has space for one! We don't have anything that grants resistance to more than one element (...yet), so he's stuck being kinda bleh.

Level 29 isn't much different having only 2 demons to its name. Difference is those 2 demons kick ass.



First up is Pyro Jack who I made by combining a Mezuki and Orthrus. I picked Mezuki for both the great magic boost (further bolstered by the Ma+2 addon since I'm not using it for much else), but primarily for Anti-Ice.



Level 29's other demon is Thor. I have an irrational Devil Survivor love for Thor, so of course I made one as soon as I could.

I made him by combining Orcus with that Pendragon we just made. The small Strength boost is nice, but everything else that comes with it is more important especially Anti-Curse. Without it, he'd be crippled constantly and really rather not have that.

And, of course, he's a Deity so he has Awakening (and is not Mahakala so he's also Unique). Not much of a spellcaster himself, he does at least come with Mazio so he can pretend to benefit from it.

...Nah, I'm just gonna murder everything with Mow Down and Brutal Hit. Especially once that Ares Aid unlocks because that boosts his crit rate by 50%.



Until then, though, we're kinda railroaded into seeing what Yamato's plan of attack is.