Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Part #10

Part 10: Emergency Signal Inquiry

So, this is clearly that "palace" that Itsumade mentioned before. Fortunately for us, there's a Macabre to talk to just next to the Terminal.

...And the game tells us he's a Macabre instead of a non-specific Demon?

Welcome to the palace of Master Mitra, lover of all the worldly pleasures!

Enjoy these stunning halls filled with uninhibited conversation and peals of laughter.

And if you're very lucky, you may witness a grand dance...

Forget your painful, humdrum life... and step onto the dance floor! Above all, enjoy yourself!

You will surely find satisfaction with a new life, a new body! All under Master Mitra's guidance!

Until then... Dance, dance, dance!

There's a pair of doors in the entrance hall, that lead to similar locations. We'll go through the right-hand side first, though.

And right off the bat, we're met with lots of damage tiles. We're going to have to carefully navigate around these.

The Fear of God

Inside the Palace, we've got plenty of new demons to deal with. First, we've just got creepy upside-down baby head spiders called Ubu to deal with. Mudo is inherently risky since if it hits Hitonari we game over on the spot.

Goblins are Goblins. Nothing of interest that we didn't already know or can't see clear as day here.

Acheri is a little more interesting. Not for her Fire weakness or Curse resistance, but her innate skills include Life Drain which is fun (and does exactly what it sounds like). Also she VERY heavily resists Poison! As in its only a 25% chance of being inflicted.

Next up is Naga, which is a bit less exciting. He's weak to Wind and resists Electricity... purely because he has Resist Elec as a skill. Remove that for some bizarre reason and he's Neutral to it.

His source has my favourite skill name in it but we'll get to that later.

Palace of Pleasure

That's all for now though, so we'll keep making our way through the palace. There's lots of damage tiles in here. I did mention that before, right?

Because while I navigated a safe path to the stairs, you can see a large swathe of the map has been ignored. Almost entirely because of damage tiles. We're not going upstairs just yet, though!

Directly opposite the stairs is a long corridor that leads to an elevator. Unsurprisingly, this doesn't work right now.

So, we'll head down the left-hand side of the first floor of the palace now. Just so you're not thinking I went crazy, this side is also riddled with damage tiles.

Thankfully, the left passage has a Heal Spot in it which is very useful! So now Hitonari can hurt himself for the sake of the map being worthwhile.

While heading out from the Heal Spot, Hitonari hit level 14 so we can take this opportunity to make some new things. Itsumade+Jack Frost+Hua Po Source for this Shan Xiao since he's weak to Fire. Normally, I wouldn't worry about patching weaknesses but when it's the only one and this makes him useful in general? No point in not doing so.

Buyin' back that Jack Frost to fuse with a Vodyanik to make a Principality. Adding Koppa Tengu's source to give more variety in her magical capabilities.

Over in the right-hand corner that mirrors the Heal Spot, you'd expect the Terminal normally. Since that's right at the entrance, instead we get a fixed Forma behind some damage tiles. Just 'cause.

Oh and, no, I really wasn't kidding about this area being riddled by damage tiles. There are so many of them! Thankfully, you can avoid every last one if you really want to.

On the second floor, we have something a bit different. We're in the middle of an open square and can examine something?

It's a message on the floor telling to meander and take longer to get somewhere? That's stupid. What's the worst that could happe--

...Oh. There are pit traps as well. I kinda despise that pit traps exist on principal just because there's no indication of where they are and generally used to confuse the shit out of you. Thankfully, the latter half of that doesn't apply here because of the animation and all.

That forma we could see before is right behind the hole in the floor. It gives us some new Base Forma which has a very obvious use right out the gate.

There's also a terminal on this floor, which makes sense I suppose. Aside from the sudden addition of pits to navigate around, this floor is very linear.

So linear, that we're nearly done by the time we pick up this box of Dis-Charms.

And right around the corner from there are 2 Revival Beads. Sure, they're useful I guess.

The Fear of God

Hey, a new demon turned up on this floor. Ippon-Datara we've seen and used before, and we know he's kind of a major threat in theory. There's nothing here we haven't seen before. Oh I guess I didn't mention before that his basic attack has a 5% chance to inflict Mute. But it does, so there's that I guess?

Anyway, there's also Bifrons here. He's weak to Ice and Expel and only resists Curse. You'd think he'd resist fire as well, but nope!

Skillwise, he has Maragi and nothing else... when we use one. Enemy Bifrons also have Tetraja (multi-target barrier that grants one-shot immunity to Expel and Curse) just because.

Oh and we got... the weirdest level up from that fight. I normally don't bother with level up screens because they're redundant but c'mon.

Palace of Pleasure

More important is a new level means a new demon! Principality and Harpy give us Suparna. Sticking an Itsumade source on there, which seems weird but it's the only available way to get Mega Claw (ST Medium Phys) until we reach level 22 so uh...

Oh! Just for convenience, I throw together a random Lilim for the moment. We're not going to be using her, but she's important to make all the same.

This gives us access to a new Special Fusion! Special fusions are a bit different to normal, of course. There are plenty of these things, that require a number of specific demons.

That number varies wildly from 2 to 8 depending exclusively on the end-result. Most of them are 3, or 4, demons though.

High Pixie is an unusual choice for one of these, because she's kind of not that big a deal usually.

We also need a random Melchom to make a different one, so we'll grab this one. He's also not going to be used.

But, hey, now we can make Morax sometime ever which is something I guess? He's kind of honestly better than the boss version we fought against, just with less HP and a lack of Horned Rampage. Bobasma is an ST spell that inflicts Fear. It turns out that when you use it, Fear is kind of ridiculously good and I love it.

...I'm still probably not going to use Morax for that, though.

Anyway, this is the entirety of 2F of Bootes that we currently have access to. As the Records screen will gladly spoil, there IS more to this floor, but we need to enter from somewhere else to get there...

3F starts with yet another pit trap warning.

And, well, it's hardly lying about it. Shame that these warnings aren't going to be around for very long.

Though that one dropped us into a tiny 2 square corridor that also drops us back down to the first floor. How annoying.

At least we can grab the AC Bootite forma, while en route back to the 3rd floor.

Thankfully, it's really easy to do that. We can take either path around the hole here, but the side that doesn't have damage tiles is probably the better option. Call it a hunch.

Anyway, as we get through that door...

Silence

I've been so busy today, I can't show 'em aaaaaaaaaaall around!

You don't have to do thaaaat! You look stuuuuuupid already!

After all, I'm riiiiiiight here!

Crisis

> You can't move!

I'm gonna take yoooooooooooou! To a fun, fun plaaaaaace! Hyahahaaaa!

Silence

Well, we got to skip the rest of the 3rd floor so I think we can call this an overall neutral result.

We're heeeeeeeere! Now sit there and waaaaait!

Palace of Pleasure

So, now we get to explore this one tiny room. There's an obvious door but we can't open it with our current Main Apps. Laaaaame.

Thankfully, there's a hidden door in the wall right to the north so we can probably leave whenever we want still.

Directly next to that, there's something else in the wall we can examine? That's weird and new.

Oh, we can just hear some nonspecific groaning from whatever is past that hidden door. We'll open that later, because...

Silence

There's someone in the middle of this room that has been kind enough to not interrupt our random bumbling.

Better keep a low profile, or there's no telling what they'll do to you...

Malevolence and Benevolence

It's me! Zelenin!

That's right, I was on Ship 3, the Elve...

Is the Red Sprite intact!?

Then at least one of our ships can still move...!

The Elve, unfortunately, was shipwrecked. We were attacked by demons.

Before I knew it... I was caught and brought here.

Hm? You received the signal? You came to save me...!?

Mmmm... but there's little point now that you've been caught too.

Still, it was very noble of you, barging into a demon's lair...

A Demon Summoning Program...!? You've been using such a thing in your investigations?

Oh... how awful...!

The demons here are monstrous! They've been torturing the other crewmen to death.

You must put a stop to that at once! There's no way a demon would genuinely help us humans!

...You're right. We won't find a way back to Earth without relying on demons...

It makes perfect sense, logically. But emotionally, it's... less simple.

Anyway, let's put our heads together and think of a way out of our situation.

What can we do with what we have?

Palace of Pleasure

Hmm... Good question.

Thankfully, we've got just the thing! There's a hidden door in here and we can pop that sucker right open. Let's head on ou--

You found the hidden door, didn't you!?

But I haven't been given the order to experiment on you yet!

Wait in your own cell!

And then we get kicked back through the door. Well, shit.

The only thing left around to check is that weird non-specific voice.

In... Inside my head! Someone! Someone's therrrrre!

Ugh... Urrgh... Kill... Kill... me... Just get it... over with... Kill me... Kill everyone...

It... It's over... It's over...! Argh... Ooh...

Ugh... Rarrrrrr... I wanna live... I wanna live... Hyahaha! Hyahahahaha!

Well, that's different from before. And totally self-contradictory! Nothing else we can do 'cept for talk to Zelenin again.

We're at the mercy of the demons.

There's nothing we can do to fight back...

Me...? Use the Demon Summoning Program...!?

Ridiculous! I could never!

You may say I might not need to use it, but it's better to have for an emergency...

But I tell you if that emergency happens, I'd sooner die!

......I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's the stress talking.

All right. I'll take it... in case of emergency.

Though I hold out hope that I won't have to use it...

> You gave Zelenin the Demon Summoning Program.

I'm sure I won't ever use it, but...

......! They're here!

Crisis

We might not be able to open the door, but someone sure can huh...

Oh, it's Bifrons. And he left the door open. And we've killed several Bifrons on the way here. That weren't alone.

Hope ya ready to die!

I only pointed that out because there are zero reasons this should happen outside of Cutscene Stupidity. It effects everyone, it seems...

Stop it! What are you doing to him!?

Shaddap and stay still!

If ya wanna live to tomorrow, if ya wanna make the pain stop, don't ya think of doin' nothin'!

Now walk! Get movin'!

Hitonari...!

Silence

We haven't exactly been in Bootes for very long, and if Antlia was any indication then we're already at the boss fight huh...? Sure, I'm okay with that.

Palace of Pleasure

So now we have control and can wander around a tiny bit. We could go into Mitra's room already or we could turn right around...

And get blocked by Bifrons. We can't kick the shit out of this chumpass and explore the... 7th floor... unfortunately.

There's a door leading to a room nearby but we can't open that door yet either!

In The Master's Name

Nothing else we can do in the hallway (aside from fish for end-of-sector random encounters and that's boring), so into Mitra's room we go.

Don't you dare do anything rude to Master Mitra!

Oh, Mitra is probably an intentional rename of the Roman god Mithras. I can't complain about that because it's an understandable change, given how common the unrelated Zoroastrian god Mithra is.

A good omen before our attack...

Tell me, human, what is your name? What are you called?

Hitonari Tadano.

So, you are called Hitonari. I like your honesty.

I am very interested in the strange creatures known as humans.

Such oddities... You promise love greater than the stars, but when rejected, you curse their name.

It is as if fate itself compels you to kill those you love.

Simply putting such mysterious creatures to death would be a terrible waste.

Looking at your past, you were but plains apes...

In those days, you came to us for power.

And now you have grown in number sufficient to eat the planet into ruin, as though you owned it.

What has driven you that far? If you know, I'm very eager to learn.

How have humans come to rule Earth?

By evolution.

This dialogue choice has no alignment points attached to it. So, I just went with this because it gives the best reaction.

Urgh... The human body... That is where the secret lies...?

I've tried so hard to study humans from the inside out, but...

I cannot understand, I can never comprehend... Urrrrrrrrgh!

We will change it! It will change! We will rise forth!

The world will change... Isn't that so, men!?

Humans originally worshipped and feared us.

That is why we extended our protection to the humans.

Why were those days lost...?

Master Mitra... What should we do with the contract in question?

Mmmm... It is fine. The transaction shall go on as scheduled.

...Hitonari? Do you fear us, our shape?

Why, depending on your attitude, I may well recruit you.

As I did with these men...

> Mitra looked at the crewmen in the room.
> The crewmen didn't move.

And it's not only your answer I'm after.

I put the question to all of you on board that wondrous ship.

...Wait, hang on. What?

Master Mitra knows all!

Those are the choices. Discuss amongst yourselves and return with your answer.

If you join me, realize that you won't be treated badly. In fact...

Men! Release this human!

Hear that!? I'll send you back to your ship!

Ring this when you want to come back here and we'll come for you!

Alright, you're going home! Now get walking!

...Wait. There was one more thing I would ask of you.

Hitonari. What is of greater value to a human: one's friends, or oneself?

You or your comrades? Tell me.

My friends.

Hrmhrmhrmhrm... I assumed you'd say as much.

A Frivolous Nation

You better think reeeal hard about what you're gonna say to Master Mitra!

Yeah, yeah, I'm sure I already know what our answer is going to be. Nothing else to do beyond returning to the Red Sprite at this point so we'll do just that.