Part 19: Alhazad: Professional Mood Killer.

Last time we reunited with Jane and her family at Court Seim, and learned that Jane's father was one of Zepet Roughknight's disciples. From there, we looked at their old workshop and encountered Boomerang, who could have stolen the Rune Drive but his Desire for battle took over, and we ripped it from his cold dead hands. Or at least that's how it would have played out if the cutscene that followed noticed how badly I was crushing him. Regardless, we're back at Seim and Jane asked Rudy to stay up with him...


There's no music here, only the sound of the wind and the river below. It's really eerie actually. You'd expect them to be playing some soft music for this semi-romantic moment, but nope. Strange silence.
: Thank you for staying up with me. You didn't tell anyone, right?
:
: The infamous 'Calamity Jane' who became a bounty hunter to support the village orphanage... What a sappy, sentimental story ...I bet you thought I was lame when you found out.
Rudy shakes his head. Look, he can do more than smile and nod!


: ... ... ... ...I know my family started out wealthy, that we lived in a prosperous town before... But, somehow we ended up here. There's nothing out here. In fact, there used to only be our house and the orphanage. And my dad was supporting all of us, so the money went quickly. We all had to work hard just to survive out here. I didn't like it at first, but that changed...


: They look up to me. Heh, they even call me 'The Warden'. And I would never want to let them down. ... ... ... Have you ever hated someone or been hated by someone?



These four pictures come one at a time, but I think you get the gist.


Oh how wrong you are.
: ... ... ... I don't like that my dad brought us here. Sometimes I think I hate him... I just don't think that, in this day and age, being sensitive and gracious does anyone any good, but that's all he cares about. He just avoids the bitter and cruel reality. Life isn't fair... It just doesn't pay to be nice...


Japanese rule of romantic moments # 12: Someone is always watching. They will rarely interrupt, but someone is ALWAYS watching.
: ...Jane...


: What's in it for you? is it the money, the fame? Or do you want to be a king?
Rudy stays silent and actually frowns a bit.
: Just please, don't tell me you're doing this just for the good of all the people in the world. How can you be so generous to people you don't even know? I can't understand that. Because life isn't kind like that! There has to be a real reason...
There's a pause as she stops yelling for a second.
: Or maybe... I'm sorry, I just feel a little miserable, knowing that you saved me only out of courtesy...


: But the morning always comes in Filgaia. Both good mornings, and not so good mornings. ...Promise me one thing... You are saving Filgaia because you love Filgaia. And you're willing to die for it because you love it so much. I'll believe you even though I don't understand you... You're just like my dad that way...
Meanwhile, the peanut gallery talks to himself again.
: I never knew that was how she always felt... ...I was right, what she needs is not me, but... Oh no! This is not good!!


Alright, here we go. This is the moment. The moment of the confession. The Rules of Anime clearly dictate that despite all the build up for this one romantic moment, nothing can come of it. Something will always interrupt. The confession will never happen. The two will lean forward to kiss but never go through with it.

So let's see here. What are our possibilities? The sun just rose and now it's very likely. That the rest of the people are now awake. (This was a really short night...) Jack could walk out of the house with a giant yawn and ruin the moment. Or that mouse-fearing kid will probably run screaming for the Warden because Hanpan wanted an early morning bite of cheese. Or Maggy here could trip and make Jane realize that she was being watched and forever ruin this moment because she's then suddenly too embarrassed. Or it could be a fourth possibility that's completely unpredictable, who knows!? Place your bet now!


If you said Alhazad popping in out of nowhere, then clearly you've already read Azure's update, and/or you read the title for this update.
: Don't you just love my impeccable timing? Hehehehe...
Whatever. Just spout your nonsense then go teleport away already.


Magdalen's coat suddenly goes flying in Alhazad's face! Actually, this is a surprisingly good tactic. I don't think Alhazad has arms so he can't really do much about the coat, and since he/she is just floating there and can't really do much about it.
: Please, if I may just interrupt. When you get to be my age, you think you've seen it all... But I have never seen anyone as rude or ignorant as you.
: Magdalen...!? What are you doing here!?
: We can discuss that later, but right now... We need to take care of this guy!



What? A battle? That's right! In this game, you fight Alhazad a little bit earlier than you normally would. I like this a lot better than the original game. In the original, Alhazad just kinda popped in, said his standard evil villain threat and left without a fight. Here, you get the feeling that the general consensus when it comes to demons is "Shoot first, ask questions when they knock you down to one HP."
Oh, and quick note on the music here: I actually don't like it that much. It's too mysterious, too mechanical. It's a good theme song for Alhazad, but not a good battle theme. I'll use it this time then I'll try to find other stuff to use for the future.

Anyway here, as you can see, Alhazad is not alone in this fight. He's accompanied by several henchbugs, 3 Bastis and 3 Esperanza specifically. These little flying mechanical insect things do not attack, or even take actions. They just naturally skip their turns. However, they do something far far worse. They protect Alhazad from attacks. Each Bastis out will reduce all physical damage to Alhazad by 33% (totaling 100% for all 3), while the Esperanza do the same for magical damage.
Even more annoying, is that the Bastis have very high physical defense and the Esperanza have very high magical defense. With Cecilia not in the party (and me being too stingy to use gems) we have no way to exploit the Bastis very low magical defense, which are also weak to every element.


Phase one of this battle is destroying two Bastis. Even using the powerful Weapons and Cartridges available, it takes both of them to take down one Bastis a turn. (I could probably take one down with Gatling Raid easy, but I only have two shots of that.) Every turn, Jane uses What Can You Do? ☆ to get a rare chance of preventing Alhazad from attacking. Even though she has Mystic and could easily heal the entire part with Potion Berries (which the game has been sending my way recently, excluding the Rat Monkeys), I like this strategy a lot better. Besides, it's not like Jane has enough power output to be useful here. (KRYSM! USE A FUCKING GEM!)


Alhazad has three main attacks. Shooting Order, as seen above, where he has all three Esperanza fire lasers, and Attack Order, where all three Bastis charge at a party member. You'd think with the fewer bugs out, this would do less damage but it's constant regardless of how many you've destroyed. His third attack, Alhazad Symphony, hits all party members for a little more damage.


Alhazad has 3000 HP, so one Gatling Raid isn't going to cut it. Another thing, you do not want to destroy all three Bastis and Esperanza. If you destroy all three of either (which is easy sometimes, they are grouped together) Alhazad will just revive them. Again, I don't know if he does this as a free action at the end of the turn or as a replacement action for one of his turns, but the best strategy is to just take him down to one Bastis and Esperanza each and then just crush him for attacks that are 66% efficient.


Fortunately, Magdalen is a fucking powerhouse. He even has a new move, Punishing Evil, which has TC of 5 (6.5 with Gamble) and ignores defense. Unfortunately, it does not ignore Alhazad's fucking reduction, but 645 damage is nothing to complain about in this situation since he can use this consistently unlike Gatling Raid. Alhazad goes down in the fourth turn this time.
Oh, and Jane has a new move too: Follow Me ☆. It lets the other party members go direction after her. (They go in the order of their Reaction, but you can still manually define it.) It has limited use in this game, but the few uses it does have are awesome.

Okay, so. I wrote nearly all of that without using a guide, and I only did that to look up attack names (since he actually never used Alhazad Symphony this fight). I remember fighting this battle quite well. You see, I first fought Alhazad in Alter Code: F one night back when I used to work at a summer camp. It was a hot summer night and the bugs were flying. We were in between sessions, so we basically had the night to ourselves. The guys in my cabin where off watching a movie in someone else's cabin and I told them I would join them when I beat this boss.
That was my first mistake.
I had no internet access, so I had to enter this fight blind. Which isn't bad, because that's how I normally try to play video games. However, the game gives you little to no explanation as to why Alhazad is for some reason perfectly invulnerable against even your best Gatling Raid. I learned very quickly that the Bastis and Esperanza seemed to influence his damage reduction, but that took me a while to learn because I liked to destroy entire groups of them all at once with Heaven's Wrath or Solid Storm.
But oh, I tried to do this battle the hard way. I tried to carefully whittle down the Bastis (once I learned that the Esperanza only affected magic damage and were best ignored) so that Magdalen could crush them in a single turn and then Rudy would use Lock-On Shot (no Cartridge, I was already out by this point) to try and get as much damage in as I could. Needless to say this took forever. By the time I defeated the boss, the rest of the guys in my cabin came back and noticed I was still fighting THE SAME FUCKING BOSS two hours later.
: Boy... Time flies when you are having fun.
NO IT DOESN'T. SHUT UP!
: But, as much as I would hate to interrupt our little tea party, I need to discuss business.
This fucking asshole drops 3500 EXP and 2500 Gella. Each henchbug adds 100 EXP and 50 Gella to the mix. Each time you kill one of the henchbugs, the character that deals the finishing blow also gets a 10% EXP bonus modifier, which is standard for any time a character kills an enemy in battle. The first time I fought Alhazad, Magdalen had a 7+ multiplier, and Rudy had at least a 4 multiplier. It was insane. This time? Mag gets 1.4 and Rudy gets 1.2 That's efficiency.


Huh, at least this time we're not tired and beaten after the fight.
: I am here to take the Rune Drive which Boomerang let shamelessly fall into your hands. I am giving you 3 hours to get it and hand it to me. If you refuse, I will have to trample these humans like the ants they are and recover it myself. I will be waiting for your answer... Hehehehehe...
: We have to hurry and wake everyone up!


That was fast. Literally it's a jump cut from Jane saying "Wake everyone up" to this.
: The shelter, which is to the southwest, will not be easy for them to access. I appreciate your willingness to fight for the village, but... My daughter said that the enemy will not be easy to defeat. Please know that the shelter is also open to you at any time.
:
: Let's head out. Jane, I want you to take the rear position and watch everyone.
: Will do ☆ !


As Jane leaves with everyone else, she looks at Rudy, who nods at her, and then she nods back and finally departs with the rest.


You know what this means, waiting montage! Actually I'll just not show most of it.
: ...It's too quiet... Where do you think they are?
: Should we check on the others? He sounded pretty serious, do you think it was just a threat?
At this point we can walk around town, but there's no one there, even the animals got taken to the Shelter. I guess the Save Bird is still around, and saving would be a good idea right now, but fuck that shit, I'm invincible!


If there was one small hole, the wall will be broken.

Jane greets us the moment we arrive.
: The Shelter is in serious trouble right now... Magdalen and I were debating whether or not to come rescue you. Will you come here so that I can explain more?
Pretty much we walk a little further into the shelter.
: The monster appeared from nowhere and started to attack everyone in the Shelter. Magdalen and I somehow managed to drive it away. But while we were at it, another monster appeared from nowhere... Everyone in the Shelter was terrified and ran around in a panic.
: As you may or may not know, it is impossible to break into the Shelter from the outside. This makes me wonder how monsters managed to invade.
: I'm worried about these people. Our priority right now is to find and remove the monsters' path into the Shelter.
: To find out we need to know how the Barrier works...
: I know how the Barrier works. Please listen to me carefully. Three different colored Barriers protect the Shelter: Purple, Yellow, and Green. Stepping on switches will deactivate it.


As she steps on the platform in the center of the room, this yellow gate fades away.
: By stepping on each colored witch, the corresponding colored Barrier is deactivated... The Barrier can be turned off only when the switch is stepped on.
: OK, so for us to advance further into the Shelter, two teams need to work together.
: That's right. It's a race against time. Now, I need you guys to move forward while I deactivate the Yellow Barrier. And Magdalen and I will advance when you deactivate the other colored Barrier.


Here's a map of the area, because this is a puzzle dungeon...that I'm disappointed they didn't try to do more with. As she said, there are three color barriers that we have to cross. In the plus shaped rooms are the switches. When you step on a switch, you'll get a prompt to switch to the other party. It's Rudy, Cecilia and Jack in one, Jane and Magdalen in the other. One wanders around, the other holds down a switch. What we have to do is talk to every NPC in the area. NPCs are in rooms 3, 6, 8, 9 and 11. However, you need Rudy's party to talk to certain NPCS because there are Mighty Glove Blocks guarding the way, or animals you need to talk to with the Magic Staff.

Honestly, I wished that Volcannon Trap had puzzles like this where you go between the two parties. I'm a sucker for these sections in RPGs, where you need to have the characters clear part of the puzzles bit by bit so you can move on. Here though, as you can see, it's pretty simplistic.


This is Room 9, with the Magic Shop...lady? I would complain, but I actually know a woman named Bobby. Anyway, she'll heal up your party like an Inn, but the monsters here are basically the same as Sea of Wind Epitaph, so it's not that tough. Then again, I am a little underleveled but awesome.


Jennifer: But she went astray... She must be somewhere nearby.
Fuck Up Count: 16 for not placing appropriate line breaks where necessary. Especially when you use unusual font, Quality Assurance should have totally caught this. Seriously, this is what people get testers for, to find these little bugs and fix them! It's an easy fix, just put a ' ' right before Shelter, or even dog to keep the lines even, and you won't have these problems! Anyway, let's see what the others have to say.
Molly: This has not been my day... I thought I ran away from the monsters, but they are here too...
Bruce: During my trip, I heard that monsters managed to cross the barrier at Saint Centaur also. I may be wrong, but there seems to be a correlation.


Like I said, step on a switch, go to the other party. This All I do here is move Jane over to Room 2 to step on the Green switch so we can hit Rooms 8 and 11 with Rudy.


On the way I got Ambushed by a pair of Gremlins...who wasted the surprise round by using Best Smile. I laughed my ass off. Then stole from them and killed them brutally.


As you can see here, there's a kid hiding behind these blocks here, which we need the Might Gloves to get through. Room 10 had a chest that was on a ledge we couldn't reach, but there was a block in there you could place carefully to let Hanpan loot the chest for a Crest Graph.
Otto: I'm hiding from that thing I just saw... It was a monster in human clothing, and it was messing with that Barrier scan device! I'm sure of it! It was a monster!


Up in Room 8, we got the Rat-phobic kid again, so we have to send Hanpan at him so we can talk to the nun. Same old trick, though I think in this game he reacts a bit more fearfully towards Hanpan throughout the entire game.
Franz: It's youre fault those rats were here! You know I hate rats! That's mean, very mean... ...sobs...
Lestat: How can monsters be inside the Shelter?! I was told that the Shelter was completely monster-proof!
Michael: Anthony went further into the Shelter to help the guards. I am a little concerned, but Anthony is a tough guy. I should not worry about him!
Diana: How did monsters get in here so quickly? Did they find a hole in the Barrier? It does not seem like there has been any kind of forced entry.


They don't explicitly tell you this, but you can figure it out on your own. If you have Rudy's party talk to Jane's party (or vice versa) then they'll switch positions on the same switch. So to get Rudy on the western half of the area, you need to move him back to Purple, move Jane to Yellow, switch at Yellow, move Jane to Purple so Rudy can go to Room 2.


Don't forget to talk to the horse, of course!
Ackerman: Oh no! I don't like small dark places... Someone, please help me out...
Smith: I don't know where my kids went... I'm worried sick.
Alright, enough of Room 3. You can't reach Room 4 while the barrier system is active, so you have to come back later on. Room 5 has another Mighty Gloves barrier, and a chest containing a Migrant Seal.


Huh, maybe there are new monsters here. These Beast Pillars aren't too tough. They like to use Lightning and Heal, but also like to skip turns. Pretty weak.


Huh?


WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? OH GOD RUDY KILL IT KILL IT QUICK AGGHL!H!!!


This is the Land Anemone, a new boss that comes completely out of nowhere holy fucking shit. This bugger has 4000 health, is weak to Light damage, and likes using attacks that use status effects. Like Poison, Sleep and...I forgot the last one. Anyway, it also has an attack, Blood Sucker, that seems like a normal physical attack, except it also causes Fallen, aka Insta-Death. First time I fought this bugger, it used it like five times on Cecilia and I had to keep Revive Fruiting her. This time, I'm lucky and was able to crush it on the third turn. It also has 1 Reaction, so it'll always move last, and for some reason also has 700 Magic according to the guide I'm using. It has no reason for that much Magic, it has no way to cause magical damage.
An accelerated Axle Smash, a couple Speed Fangs, a Light Gem and ending with Gatling Raid destroys this abomination. It gives 4900 EXP and 1600 Gella, as well as a PS Dark Break 2.
: I need you to do me a favor. Join up with Jane at once!
: What happened?
: When we came into the shelter, I finally figured out something. And, if I'm correct, I know what's going on with the monsters infiltrating the Barrier Shelter. I believe it is...
: We must hurry, but let's pause until everyone is here. I, too, have a bad feeling about this.


: You interrupted me. This better be good.
: Of course it's good. But you won't find this amusing. I figured out a few things after our troubles with the monsters at the Barrier Shelter. First... We have encountered problems crossing a force field before. I believe that was at...
: Saint Centaur || Rosetta Town || Court Seim
Yup, this part doesn't change. Don't recall what happens if you don't get it right.
: Yes, that's right. Don't you think the incident in that town is similar? If I'm correct, the border which I...
: Bypassed using a tunnel || Bypassed hiding among humans || Flew over
: It's the same. Do you think it's possible as long as...
: Nobody finds you? || You can blend in with a crowd? || There's no border in the sky?
: ...and that's the end of the story. Don't you see it now? The monsters must be breaking into the Barrier Shelter the same way!
: I have no idea what you're talking about! I need a better explanation!
: The story gets complicated from here. I'm afraid that the monsters...
: Penetrated through the border. || Were here all this time. || Came in along with humans.
: That cannot be... It sounds as though you have jumped to conclusions.
: We have just witnessed a dog morph into a monster before our very eyes. With that in mind we can say...
: Humans lead the monsters in. || Humans morphed into monsters. || The monsters followed the Humans.
: I understand that this is discouraging. But I'm convinced that a few monsters broke in somehow and let the rest of the monsters walk right in.


He/she's baaaaaack...
: Now then... Let me elaborate on your theory. Here's how it works... It involves planting a 'seed'. Recent developments in bio-manipulation allow us to plant monster seeds into human bodies. The side effects on humans are miniscule, and no one can possibly detect it. Then, with a snap of a finger, the seed germinates and awaits our orders. Never was an invasion more efficient! We have used the town of Saint Centaur as our test subject. And I must say, it was a success.


...there are so many things wrong with this one line... Fuck Up Count: 17
Post-LP Note: Polsy is awesome again, and sheds some light on this baffling Fuck Up.


: One more thing. I shall clarify one of your misconceptions. While the elements which make up demons may be different from humans, our body structures are very similar. However, the crucial difference stems from the fact that humans are organic-based and demons are inorganic. It may be true for the monsters, but we demons will not succumb to the dimensional barrier. I have been talking too long. Allow me to finish what I'm here for... the Rune Drive. My boss is patiently awaiting my arrival with the Rune Drive.
: My father has the Rune Drive! We need to hurry and get there before they do!
Jane joined the party! Magdalen joined the party!
We now have five party members again, time to rush back to the room where the Cartridge was.


Anthony: Our job is to stay here and keep the demons from reaching him. ...Ah...Ugh...What... What's happening to me? My body... It feels like bugs are crawling under my skin! Is this from that strange bug that bit me?


Anthony: I'm, losing myself... ...I am...
I once read that the way to scare someone, is to have something happen exactly when the view expects it to happen. Yes, they see it coming, but they also get the fear of knowing it's coming up. But you have to start small, and the rule of three works great. Saint Centaur was the first time, the dog was the second time. This time, we see the transformation happen to a live human being directly in front of us.


Normally, the level of enemies matches the suggested level of the party, but Diefighter here is unusual in that it becomes a normal enemy later on., thus the higher level. It uses Chop-Chop quite a bit, and has a 60% rate to automatically guard against any attack directed at it. Guard just means reduced damage, so it isn't too bad. As well, it also like to counter attack, but it's not too tough. Great for a miniboss.


Moving on brings us here. Alhazad turns around to face the party, allowing Nicholli to slip past.
: Though my youth may be gone, I swear upon my sword to protect Mr. Maxwell. But, be forewarned, if I have to strike you, I will use all of my power to defeat you.
: Muhahahaha... You are making me laugh. Leave now and you may live a little longer. I hate nothing more than your righteous attempts... Or, perhaps, you gnats are just desperate for anything!


: You have left me with no choice but to eliminate you once and for all!

If there is one thing players are very good at doing is completely foiling the plans of everyone else around them. Ask any experienced Game Master with regard to tabletop RPGS.
Anyway, as I mentioned before, I'm not too fond of Alhazad's theme, and this is the last time Jane's going to be in our party for a long time, so I figured this was the perfect time to pull out a Rocking Heart remix. This remix is of Jane's battle theme, which is perfectly appropriate because she and Magdalen get absolutely no usage in this battle.


Step one: Clear out 2/3 of the Henchbugs. Cecilia makes it easy to get rid of the Bastis.


Step two: Fire everything.


Step three: Somehow get lucky enough to deal the finishing blow with Cecilia who needs to play EXP catch up.
: Although my defeat is unlikely, I would be the object of ridicule if I failed to obtain the Rune Drive. Power alone should not be the only integral part of battle...
EXP is 5100 this time, and Gella is 3400. You know, I probably should have had Cecilia use a Lucky Card on herself instead.



: Zeikfried! Why are you here?!
Suddenly, Zeikfried appears! I'd like to spend this moment to rant about his theme song. First, here is the original (Battle ZEIK) (which for some reason Azure didn't link to when he fought Zeik). Then listen to Demon Spear. If you notice, for the first half of the song, Naruke inverted it. And by inverting it, I mean that what was the loudest and most noticeable theme in Battle ZEIK now becomes secondary. The secondary theme now becomes obvious by being whistled....it's incredible. That one little change to the song drastically changes it's tone. The relatively calm beginning makes the song almost sound longing at first...longing for Saturn Hiades.

Ahem, right, anyway, back to the game.[/i]


Zeikfried summons Glumzamber, and swings it in front of Alhazad.
: Are you ordering me to retreat!? You understand that once we retreat we will surrender any hope of moving forward with the Rune Drive plan?
: Yes. We are retreating while our 'hope' is still alive.
: What?
: They have the ARM. The weapon known as 'Killing Within'. Don't you think our 'hope' should be acquainted with it?
: Affirmative... I see your plan now. Shall we retreat then?
: Let me be the arbitrator. How about you two fight me? Right now!
: Can't you see you're inferior to us? Bring your useless spirit with you when you come to our castle. Go north to Photosphere. With your Rune Drive, there should be no problem crossing into 'Soldelita'. Do what you will. But, the end results will still be us dominating the world.
The two teleport out. Fucking teleporting villains...
: ... ... ... What... What are we fighting against? It is as though an invisible force, against our will, is manipulating our every move...



: We stopped working on the Rune Drive because it was difficult finding a way to stabilize its immense energy output. But the Golem, also known as Asgard, that you excavated from the ruins might be able to handle the power of the Rune Drive. Installing the Rune Drive into Asgard might even power his ultimate weapon. However...
: ...Dad...
: I'm always reluctant to revive old weaponry... The risk to human life... But, I know that if it worked, it could save many lives... I'll do it! I'll install the Rune Drive into Asgard, trusting that he is indeed God's Fortress and that he will act as Filgaia's protector... As a pupil of Old Man Zepet and as an ARM meister, I will not let anybody down.


: But, that should be fixed with the Rune Drive. ... ... … Asgard has regained functionality almost completely here. The Anti-Phasing Shield... The most powerful weapon contained in Asgard's arms. When you invoke the barrier's energy, all that is touched by its arms... All becomes dust...
: ...Wow... This Golem... Absolute Power...
: I don't think it is safe to arm people with great power. Violence is the ugly side of humanity. But it would also be a mistake to say that violence and fighting are synonymous. The desire for conflict and the thirst for destruction, that is violence. On the other hand... To wield power to protect something, to live strongly... that is to fight, isn't it?
Rudy nearly stumbles forward.
: ...Heh... These were your grandfather's words. ... ... ... ...He was probably warning us of the dual nature of power. It is the ability to protect but also to do harm. ... ... ... ...I enabled the power of Asgard by keeping Zepet's words in my heart. ...Because now you must fight. Secure the future of Filgaia and all who live here!
: Let's work together, Asgard! We will decide our future; we believe in your power!!


Asgard strikes his hands together. He's excited, oddly. I thought he didn't want to be a weapon?


ASGARD SMAAAAASH!
Now Asgard can punch away giant boulders like this one, in a style that's remarkably similar to the punches Asgard would throw in Wild ARMs 5. No, seriously, it looks almost identical. I'm not complaining though, I'm sure it took some animator a good day or more to get it to look awesome the first time, so they're allowed to reuse it a little. The light and particle effects are a little different, but the punching animation looks familiar. Anyway, you can usually find stuff under these boulders, like in this case I found 1000 Gella.


A quick stop at the Barrier Shelter, now that the security system is completely down. MP up 2 boosts Max MP by 20% and goes on Jack almost right away.


After a quick grinding spree, that is it for this update. Next time, we storm the Photosphere.

End of update status:
: Level 25 → 27
--ATK Bonus: 46 (Lv. 4)
--Bullets: 8 (Lv. 5)
: Level 25 → 27
--Mastered Axle Smash (4 MP)
: Level 24 → 26
-Hoarding a Crest Graph
: Level 25 → 26
--Joined the party!
--Learned Follow Me ☆
--Left the party...
: Level 25 → 26
--Joined the party!
--Learned Punishing evil
--Left the party...
Gella: 13992
Migrant Seals: 7
Ex. File Keys: 2/25
Fuck-Ups: 17

Version Differences:
You fight Alhazad twice here, instead of once.
Jane and Magdalen really spice up Barrier Shelter.
ASGARD SMAAAAAASH! Yeah, Asgard doesn't get that punch in the original game.

A Saying A Day
: (July 9) Today's saying is, 'like milk on cereal.' 'Stars belong in the sky, flowers on the ground, and milk belongs on cereal.' That's the long version of the saying. The saying is about pointing out things that are obvious. Personally, I consume way more 'Starbeks' coffee than cereal..........
: (July 10) Today's saying is, 'you can rotate a pencil only so far.' Rotating a pencil with your finger tips is a good exercise for the brain. It can help keep you awake, too. But if you do it all the time, sooner or later the pencil falls and rolls under someone else's desk. The next thing you know, everyone is singing, 'a pencil is flying away,' in three-part harmony. Next, they will bully you for it. That's never fun. So, just use a freaking' pen instead.
: (July 11) Today's saying is that a steamship is not an occupation. Children are unreasonable, usually. When asked what they wanna be when they grow up, they's say, 'a steamship.' But, as everybody knows, a person cannot be a steamship. Kids will learn this as they grow older. As children grow up, their silly dreams will be replaced by real goals. When I was younger, I wanted to grow up to become an Empress in the universe.
: (July 12) Today's saying is, 'like a painted heal berry.'A heal berry is both sweet and sour, so even just looking at a painting of one makes people drool. One should eat bread then. Bread is tasty even without jam. This is a small knowledge in life.
: (July 13) Today's saying is, 'a boil and a swelling come out of anywhere.' I often feel they show up in places where we especially don't like them to come out at all. My grandpa once lanced a boil and was attacked by monsters the next day. He thought he'd get killed. Then, later, he blamed the boil. He just laughed at it, saying the attack was the boil's revenge.
: (July 14) Today's saying is, 'give a man enough rope and he'll hang himself.' The idea is that people don't need help to get themselves into trouble. They'll find it all on their own. It's kind of funny, really. I try to stay out of trouble myself. Do you suppose my sayings might get me into trouble?
: (July 15) Today's saying is that it takes more than music to make people dance. People lose their desire to dance when somebody forces them to do it. So, if you want to people to dance, you must use your brain. Or wait for them to be in a drunken state........

Next Time:

...This is so totally my wallpaper now..