Shin Megami Tensei II

Part 15

Fourrteenth update on a friday the thirteenth!

Time to use the South Gate.

Will save some MP in some random battle, okay.

Little bit of makka. Kind of useless, since it is acquired easily in any random battle. Still, every bit helps (especially when the equipment upgrades in this update are kind of expensive, two 12k guns in a while, and assorted armors [armors not shown due to ME = LAZY]).

Managed to even get the period before the text box dissapeared. Hooray.

Open Sesame.

Map of the SOuth Gate.

Aaah, the Factory, the place where all the goods used in the Millenium are produced, food, products, whatever, it's all done here.

See the raised tile? That means that someone is there.

Ooo...kay? If you say so. He sure is enthusiastic.

Let's check that bigass place in the north:

Drat.

Hey, look! Agricultural squarethings!

Eeek, ZOMBIE COW.

Wikipedia posted:

Nandi/Nandhi (Sanskrit: नंदी, a hindu god, is the bull which Lord Shiva rides and the gate keeper of the Shiva according to Hindu mythology. An idol of Nandi facing the main shrine will be seen in every Siva temple . There are also a number of temples dedicated solely to Nandi.

Is that a motor in his head?

Weak and with useless skills. Oh well.

What the... Hell?
Why is a mesian attacking the GODDAMN MESSIAH?

I want a smiley face belt like that one, though.

A church and a building, let's see the church first.

Nothing of interest, besides the Terminal.

Now the building.

Ah, a bar!

He is enthusiastic about his work as well. That's... Nice?

THEY CLONED A BULL/COW GOD.
That's amusing.

Inebriation causes a diminished labor output, so clearly YOU ARE NOT.

Apparently. It is a bit weird, though.

Time to see what the crap was that coil thingie that was acquired in the Codebreaker game.

Ah hah, so it is a staff thingie.
And causes PANIC! And not of the button pressing kind.

Time to check the armory.

See this? The Randi-Shot is somewhat weak, but it causes CHARM. And thus, it will be my best friend for a while. (un)fortunately, the effects of the bullets are less than in SMT1, not causing the desired effect as often as one would like (or at least for now, the stats Aleph and Rei have are rather low at this point, after all).
Bought two of each, something that required a bit of grinding for money (and only took a screenshot of Aleph's stat increase with the weapon).

Woohoo!

Oookay?

Woah woah, he changed his line!

Map, kind of boring, except for the two automated hallways.

One big building left.

And Codebreaker is the only interesting thing.
Won a nice Magma Spear there, though, stronger even than the Coil of Blessing.

Damnit, flickering bastard.
Cannot find information about it either on Wikipedia, or the Megaten Wiki, because none of the definitions listed in the first apply to myth or folklore, or supernatural stuffs, and the latter lacks an entry for it (even if it is listed).

It is immune to bullets, and that is rather annoying. Leaves a nice amount of Mag, though.

It is also quite gross, in my opinion.
BRING THAT FLOATING FATMAN.

And thus, the Factory is of vital importance. It is a good thing that all the workers are diligent and so focused in their labor.

That happens from time to time. It is weird, annoying and makes me worry.

Time to go INSIDE.

Boring first floor.

ARGH, beyond that door, there is the most annoying part of this dungeon, and the second (or third) most annoying feature in a Megaten dungeon: DARKNESS.

See?
No, you don't.

Fortunately, there was no need to navigate blind for long. It was straight and short.

Neeext.

GOD DAMNIT, more darkness.

This treasure was hidden by the darkness. Meh.

I hate you, map. I hate you.

A Worm!

Useful skills. BUUUT it won't join. Maybe because it is a damned Dark demon.

AT LAST a decent piece of loot. And a very useless ointment.

The sooner I can get out of this place, the better.

Hahah, oh wow, Christine reference.

Wikipedia posted:

Christine is a horror novel by Stephen King, published in 1983. It tells the story of an antique automobile apparently possessed by supernatural forces.

In 1983, the movie version of Christine directed by John Carpenter, and starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, and Harry Dean Stanton was released to theaters.

HIGH hp, and as a Dark demon, it won't join

Benu!

Wikipedia posted:

The Bennu bird serves as the Egyptian correspondence to the phoenix, and is said to be the soul of the Sun-God Ra. Some of the titles of the Bennu bird were “He Who Came Into Being by Himself,” “Ascending One,” and “Lord of Jubilees.” The name is related to the verb “weben,” meaning “to rise brilliantly,” or “to shine.” The Bennu bird was the mythological phoenix of Egypt. It was associated with the rising of the Nile, resurrection, and the sun. Because the Bennu represented creation and renewal, it was connected with the Egyptian calendar. Indeed, the Temple of the Bennu was well known for its time-keeping devices.

According to ancient Egyptian myth, the Bennu had created itself from a fire that was burned on a holy tree in one of the sacred precincts of the temple of Ra. Other versions say that the Bennu bird burst forth from the heart of Osiris. The Bennu was supposed to have rested on a sacred pillar that was known as the benben-stone. The Egyptian priests showed this pillar to visitors, who considered it the most holy place on earth.

The Bennu was pictured as a grey, purple, blue, or white heron with a long beak and a two-feathered crest. Occasionally the Bennu was depicted as a yellow wagtail, or as an eagle with feathers of red and gold. In rare instances the Bennu was pictured as a man with the head of a heron, wearing a white or blue mummy dress under a transparent long coat. The Bennu was considered the “soul” of the god Atum, Ra, or Osiris.

The Book of the Dead says, “I am the Bennu bird, the Heart-Soul of Ra, the Guide of the Gods to the Tuat.”.

A large species of heron, nowadays extinct, occurred on the Arabian Peninsula in comparatively recent times; it may have been the ultimate inspiration for the Bennu. Reflecting this, the species was described[citation needed] as Bennu Heron (Ardea bennuides).

Useful spells, did not try to recruit, though. Should have. Maybe later I will.

Cu Sith!

Wikipedia posted:

The Cu Sith or Cusith of Celtic Mythology (pronounced coo shee) is an enormous legendary hound of the Scottish Highlands. Roughly the size of a cow or large calf, the Cu Sith was said to be dark green in color with shaggy fur and a long braided or curled tail.

The creature was said to be capable of hunting silently, but would occasionally let out three terrifying barks that could be heard for long distances, including by ships at sea. This was said to be a warning to farmers to lock up their women, lest the beast abduct them and take them to a fairy mound to supply milk for fairy (Sídhe) children.

Cu Sith literally means "fairy dog." Supernatural dogs in Celtic mythos are usually completely black, or white with red ears. The Cu Sith's coloration is therefore highly unusual, although it may be derived from the green color of Celtic fairies.

Cu Sith is also the name of a mysterious ancient organisation said to exist to this day in Scotland especially the east coast around Fife. Little is known about them but it is thought they are a Pictish pre cristian/ pagan organsation similar to the cristian Free Masons derived for the mutual support of their members. One big difference between them and their masonic counterparts is the allowance of women in their number as this was an important part of Pictish life. It is thought that their main goal is the preservation of the ancient belief system and they are not thought to be involved in any criminal activities but have been known to defend their members to the death. Their name probably derives from the fact that the forest dwelling tribes of the Fife and the east coast were known as Cu Sith during Roman times for their ability to launch ambush attacks then disapear into the forests like "Fairy Hounds."