Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Part #23 - Delphinus Parasite Treatment

Part 23: Delphinus Parasite Treatment

Prayer

With the MKUltra Gun now proven to work for what we need it for, everyone's dialogue has updated yet again. This is a secretly talky sector, huh.

But... a brainwashing device...?

What were the brass thinking when they had this developed...?

Is that a cruel twist of fate, or something that's too good to be true?

I can hardly tell anymore...

I still have a lot of questions about why we had brainwashing devices aboard to begin with...

But right now, I'm just grateful for the stroke of luck.

And it's you guys on the strike team who are going around healing people...

Everyone's doing something to help... Everyone but me.

I need to... work harder...

But we can stew over that later. Let's focus on gettin' those people cured.

Of course, your team worked hard, and I contributed a little to the treatment...

We make a good team, don't we? I hope it lasts.

Even so, looking at the real thing like this, I'm a little disappointed...

That machine destroys any notion of trust or camaraderie...

I do appreciate that Blair has a unique perspective instead of everyone being generically outraged over the MK Gun existing. Like it's ultimately just a different color of paint, but disappointment and resignation about it is at least new.

A Rotten Nation

Anyway, back into Delphinus we go at last. This is our first time we've been "in" a Sector and had to actively leave and go elsewhere for an extended period to make any progress. Odd, that.

Looks like several of the infected crewmen are killing each other...

The casualties are slowly building. We need to cure them, quick!

We do know of 3 people around Delphinus that are infected with this thing. Obviously, Jimenez is the only mandatory one but we might as well cure all of 'em.

Kill...! I'm gonna kill you...!

> The crewman is infected with the parasite...

...

Ugh...

> You explained the situation to him.

That really happened...? Sounds like I owe you one.

I know... I'll give you this password.

This is my strongest demon. Is password is in that Demonica code.

Put it to good use for me, okay?

I think I'll take a breather here before I get treatment at the Red Sprite...

Sorry, but I'll have to leave the rest of the mission to you.

Okay, so back at the end of Antlia when a guy first told us about passwords I said I wouldn't be using them. That's mostly true, but there are a few times I will be. This is mainly for ones that the game hands out as rewards for things (sidequests) because they're generally the only way to access those demons.

There are a few others I will be passwording in but with passwords that are all external from the game. There are a small number of demons that are only available via passwords that Atlus themselves released after the game was out.

And there are a tinier number of passwords that I will be using for Wacky Shenanigans and Ridiculously Stupid things but those are very very special.

Anyway, you password in a demon by registering it. This is very simple.

So this is the password we were given. It's very short for a password for this game - ones you generate from your compendium fully use both lines.

...Anyway, this thing is terrible! Red numbers are below what they are in their currently registered state. We're not a high enough level to have a Mishaguji-sama, so this is weaker than the base version.

But wait! That password was a math problem. This is not his strongest demon.

If you solve it exactly as it is written like your friends on Facebook do everytime something like this is posted, because they forget how maths work, you get an answer of 17980. So this is from adding 1 to 19 then multiply 21 by 20 for 420 and so on and so forth.

To the surprise of probably no one, this password is invalid because

If you solve it using order operations, like a sensible person, you get an answer of 2000.

This gives you a base Mishaguji but with Mediarama! Gasp!

This is not very good still, no. I will almost certainly not touch this again.

Oh and we'll make a Parvati. Comes with Megido, has no weakness, is immune to Expel and if you're wrong and care then her Source gives Recovery Amp which is... something.

Alright, so there's a couple doors on this floor as well. We'll see where they lead, because we can do that now.

That outfit... You appear to be some sort of soldier.

I have lived a long life as Kresnik. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

To tell the truth, I was once a human myself.

Until I was bound by a certain destiny, I too lived in your world.

...Though that was over a century past. In those days, the entire world was consumed in war.

Those were awful days... Is the world at peace now?

I'm trying to restore peace.

You are, eh? I see... So that is why you've come...

You're a very brave man. Oh, excuse me...

Hmmm. Come to that, there's a favor I'd like to ask of you.

Nope, never heard of it.

Okay, weird thing here that I'm only pointing out because barely no one reading this will know it (if you do, good job I guess). Kresnik is a Slavic god of the sun, summer solstice, fire, storms and sometimes fertility. He lives on a sacred mountain at the top of the world, which represents the axis mundi. He has absolutely nothing to do with vampires.

A Krsnik, of which this guy is one, is Croatian; they're shapeshifting shamans that learn magic from fairies and hunt vampires in general - hence the bat on his jacket - but prioritise Kudlaks which are not a specific entity but rather their evil vampire antithesis. Krsniks' souls eventually leaves their bodies to fight evil and help with good harvests and good health. Very different, but an understandable mistake right? Well, it's not a mistake. Krsnik has two alternative spellings because things are never easy. Kresnik is one of them. This leads to completely unimportant problems in some very specific niche situations that no one here will ever get into, myself include, so it's just a fun trivia thing.

The Belmonts, from Castlevania, are good examples of things you probably know about that are based on Krsniks!

Without it, I am unable to deliver a killing strike, and his power grows by the day...

If only I had that weapon, I could put an end to our struggle.

I must defeat him... it is my destiny as a Kresnik.

I would like you to help me find the Hawthorn Spear.

Okay.

Excellent. Remember, I seek the Hawthorn Spear.

Let us share in the glory of our bright victory.

We, uh... we'll totally find a Hawthorn Spear later because we definitely don't have one yet why would you think that.

Meanwhile through the left door, we have this Unlock door we can't open yet. Sounds about right at this point.

Also a container for 2 Revival Beads. Hard to complain about that, I guess.

Oh and a room with this guy in it.

Interesting. You investigating this place or something?

Did humans finally wake up to the danger their sins put them in and take some action?

Real competent, there. You don't call yourselves lords of creation for nothin', huh? Heheh...

Good luck with your investigation.

...Hey, kid. You wanna do me a favor?

I don't wanna kill him; too boring. I was thinkin' of making him suffer slowly... a disease or something.

Now this one we legitimately don't have yet and haven't seen at all.

You bring me that weapon, kid, and there'll be something in it for you.

That's right, a reward... Music to your ears, huh?

Yes.

You're a sensible guy, I see.

I'm really counting on you to bring me that Pest Crop.

We'll get a Pest Crop sooner or later, I'm sure, so we'll park this until then.

Heading on up to the 2nd floor now. Second guy is here as well, conveniently.

Humans are no different from the trash of corpses... Grrrr...

> You fired the MK Gun.

...Ugh...

Hitonari? What happened to me?

> You explained the situation to him.

What? We were infected by a parasite...!?

Looks like you saved me, though. Sorry if I caused you any trouble.

Here, my way of saying "thanks." Take it.

Well, it's better than a base version of a demon but with a terrible spell added I guess.

Probably not much of a surprise, but the door behind the terminal is a convenient shortcut. That second terminal over here is now completely stupid and superfluous.

Silence

> It's Jimenez. He doesn't seem to have noticed you yet...

Crisis

> Bugaboo got in the way!

Hey! He's trying to save your master! Don't interfere!

The enemy... You're the enemy!

It's hopeless, Hitonari! Shoot them both!

> You fired the MK Gun.

Mboooooooooo!

How's Jimenez!?

......

Malevolence and Benevolence

I believe the Delphinus Parasite has been cured.

Take him into protective custody.

Tadano...? You're taking me to the Red Sprite...?

......! You're here too, Bugaboo!?

Hold on, Tadano! Let me get him back in my Demonica first!

> Jimenez returned Bugaboo to his Demonica.

Thanks...

...Are you sure you're thanking the right person?

Well, of course I'm grateful to you guys too... Ugh!

Man... what happened? I'm aching all over...

> You took Jimenez back...

Mission "Delphinus Parasite Treatment" is confirmed complete.

It was all because of that damn disease.

No one here's at fault... You either.

Despite the setback, we can now return to the mission.

Let us resume out efforts to find a way out.

Jimenez will be convalescing for a while. I hope he stays put in bed...

We have a cure, but we still need to watch for any signs of symptoms in the crew.

It should be fine so long as we stay alert. I wonder if the medical team will discover the cause...

...I guess it must have been a hallucination from the disease.

Nah, it couldn't have been. That was one bad hallucination...

Prayer

Unsurprisingly, curing the Delphinus Parasite was a big enough deal to make dialogue update again.

But I'm not going to pretend it doesn't bother me.

What did the higher-ups have in mind when they included one in the ship's equipment...?

With the body missing, there's no evidence to the contrary, but... I wonder.

We'll need to find that body and get to the bottom of this.

The joke's in poor taste if you ask me, with the body missing and all... Plus, he's dead.

It must have been a hallucination from the disease, or possibly memory loss from the treatment.

I'm going to stay here and watch over everyone who's been treated. You continue the investigation.

...Here's hoping they don't start getting violent again.

Well... I'm sure there's all kindsa questions and issues all over this whole thing...

But me, I'm just happy everyone's back to normal now.

They called it a "mental parasite," but that sounds so dumb, like some hokey sci-fi thing.

But I'm not one to talk, since it's not my specialty. We'll wait for the results, I suppose.

I haven't heard you talk about it much, but I'm sure you feel the same way.

Humans in conflict with each other, and now a mental parasite... it's too coincidental for "bad luck."

But if somebody is pulling strings behind the scenes, I guess it's up to us to find out who...

Well, with Jimenez out of the way we can go back to the 3rd floor of Delphinus and make some progress again.

Malevolence and Benevolence

Odd that they're so weak, and that there's so many of them, but... something must be there!

I suspect there's some reason why the Demonicas started detecting them so suddenly, but...

You should investigate, Hitonari!

It's a Rosetta signal and it's very close by, so!

Silence

Well, I see something new here at least.

Who's that!?

Huh...? That voice... it didn't come from the radio!

In The Master's Name

A demon...!

Why isn't the Demonica getting a reading on it!?

Hitonari... it's attacking!

Spirit Formless

An Honor Befitting That Name

Formless is an interesting... demon...? It's kind of terrible in a vacuum having absolutely no real offense whatsoever:

...Granted, this is a basic attack after a War Cry to a Resist but still! That's effectively all they can do for damage right now.

Defensively, they're neutral to Phys/Gun, Ice, Wind and Elec. Naturally, they're immune to Expel and Curse.

And, yeah, they're weak to Fire if you have something that can use that effectively. I don't at the moment, hence why this damage is really bad despite being post Acid Breath.

In terms of actual skills, the Formless are fairly limited. They just cast a small handful of ailment spells.

Like, a very small handful. I don't think I caught all of them but when I back to check they didn't use anything else and, surprising no-one, there is exactly no information about Formless online anywhere.

...Those resistances I listed earlier? Not documented anywhere.

Even the Megaten Wiki doesn't have a page for this. It's not like it has a minimum info requirement, given the number of demons it has that are unique to one game and don't even have a bio or anything other than an image and statblock. Sometimes that can be too much. My personal favourite, for its name alone, is Crispy Dead.

And if you leave one alive with sub-125HP (because it has 500 max, you see), it'll use Last Resort. This is just a Physical Almighty skill that hits every enemy in return for killing the user. It claims to deal Heavy damage but it's base power is 150. Agilao/Bufula/etc. have the same power, so uhhh. Strange Journey is really bad at describing what it's skills do.

End

In The Master's Name

WE SHALL... MEET AGAIN...

> The Demonica no longer shows the weak Rosetta reading...

The demon disappeared...!?

But... we didn't get the Rosetta!

I have analyzed the entity believed to have contacted you through your Demonicas.

"Believed"...?

That is correct.

I confirmed the weak Rosetta reading.

A demon undetectable by machines...

Judging by the chain of events and the inability of sensors to detect it, the entity you encountered...

Also the fact that one of them came outta that Generic Strike Team guy we tested the MK Gun on.

The Delphinus Parasite...

Yes. However, I can draw no firm conclusions at present.

I have taken the precaution of checking your Demonica's bio-monitor.

Now then, Hitonari, Zelenin.

...Huh, I believe this is the first time Arthur has just used someone's name...

You were unable to obtain the Rosetta on this excursion. However...

You must resume the investigation.

...Hold on! Are we going to have to fight a demon we don't even understand?

Officially, we've done that almost constantly so...

Obtaining the Rosetta must be our highest priority.

No need to worry...?

Well... I suppose we can't escape here without the Rosetta, yes?

A Rotten Nation

Alright, so there are two more events on 3F as far as we can see. Let's check what it is this time...

Silence

> The Demonica is showing a weak Rosetta reading...

Hopefully we can get the Rosetta this time.

Do you think the Delphinus Parasite demon is here, too...?

In The Master's Name

It's here!

What... I...!

Have we been under surveillance this whole time!?

YES, ZELENIN. I AM WITHIN...

......!

So you ARE the Delphinus Parasite!

I HAVE SEEN THE MINDS OF HUMANS.

THUS, I CARED FOR THEM!

You peeping tom!

Well, uh... maybe should've seen that coming?

No... It's not working!?

THAT CANNOT AFFECT ME!

> The mysterious demon attacked!

An Honor Befitting That Name

Just more Formless. They're the same as the ones we fought before.

Well, except these ones are weak to Ice and neutral to Fire.

In The Master's Name

WE SHALL... MEET AGAIN...

> The demon and the giant hive disappeared.

> The Demonica no longer shows the weak Rosetta reading...

I see that you were unable to obtain the Rosetta this time, either.

However, there are still other active Rosetta readings. Continue your investigation.

Arthur! Do you read me?

The weak Rosetta reading WAS the Delphinus Parasite!

It is not designed to kill a free-floating parasite.

Meaning...?

Should you enctouner the mental parasite and engage it...

...You mean the Demon Summoning Program.

I don't want to use... that...

Continue the investigation.

There are still other Rosetta readings.

......

Gonna jump right on over to the next one. This one just appears and IMMEDIATELY attacks.

An Honor Befitting That Name

Same as before, again, except this one is weak to Electricity. Hmmm...

In The Master's Name

ENTERTAIN ME... LIKE... THAT...

I guess, we... just did...?

I see that you were unable to obtain the Rosetta this time, either.

However, there are still other active Rosetta readings. Continue your investigation.

Why yes, the game just copied and pasted that from immediately before.

Anyway, it's time to finally go somewhere NEW in Del--

This body is telling me that. Who... are you?

> You talked to Gore.

He is dead... No, reborn...

Yes, reborn. I have become all.

My consciousness is one with this planet's...

The Earth is being destroyed at the hands of humans,

You despoil the earth, grow in numbers, and leave poison behind. Humans have become a disease.

The human disease will be expunged by the demon antibodies.

It is the only way for the Earth to survive.

> Gore edged near you...

Silence

Hey, hey, do you... do you maybe get it yet? The Schwarzwelt is based on sins. Hey! Hey! Have we told you that enough times yet? No? How about one more?

A destiny of destruction is in mankind's character.

The man who inhabited this body would have lamented that fact...

......

Do you not want to revert the tide?

Won't you end man's rule on Earth?

I can't let that happen.

Then why don't you cease this invasion of the Schwarzwelt?

I can't.

Seriously, he's trying to trick you into getting a ton of Chaos points. No, really. Each of those questions has 2 answers; only the first one has a Neutral answer and only the second has a Law answer (as shown here). They both have a Chaos answer that is... agreeing with him. Gore, man, you used to be cool.

I know I normally don't point that out but in this case it's interesting because it's so blatant. The game hasn't even pretended to care about Chaos as a perspective outside of Jimenez until now, so this is really late to the party. Maybe now that's going to change and we'll get some kind of balanced perspectives to make an informed decision when it matters?

...You cannot decide.

In The Master's Name

Though no one wished it, the Earth's will has been awakened from its slumber.

Now that it is awake... events will no longer be dictated by human desire.

An Honor Befitting That Name

....Much like Jimenez before, Gore is level 1 and Neutral. Also he's Meta here which is interesting given that's generally an alternative translation of Human (which IS in use here; see: Jimenez) and he's, uh, been dead since we met Orias at the start of Antlia...

But... I don't feel that you're that bad...

Not yet, at least...

An Honor Befitting That Name

Either you can be ripped to shreds by the demons...

So, as no doubt expected after getting the Madman's Stone, the Delphinus Parasite has something to do with Asura after all.

But never mind that. Suddenly a BLUE flash! Gasp!

......!