Everyone is ecstatic for their victory over the Powers. Isabeau departs again to get Flynn medical care, with even Gaston, who was assigned to bring him back to Mikado, accepts, as he's obviously no good to Merkabah dead. Toki has now permanently joined for amusing(?) love triangle shenanigans, and in general everyone seems to be growing closer. So of course Dagda kills the moment with another "Disgusting. They're holding you back" speech.
Nanashi: I wish he'd be quiet. Weird, though; those Powers guys didn't show up in my phone.
Athena: Whatever do you mean, 'in your phone?'
Nanashi: Well usually when I beat a demon Mido says I can fuse it now. That didn't happen here. I mean I wasn't trying to "observe" them out of existence or whatever you were talking about back there. At least not consciously. Even Adramelech showed up, but not them...
Prometheus: Ah. That is a ritual of respect. A demon bested in battle typically yields to you as a worthy master. Perhaps they simply hate you that much?
Nanashi: Whatever. Who needs them.
Atropos: Ahahaha... the roads of fate indeed twist, would you not say so, sisters?
Lachesis: Indeed, sister... Ohohoho... this is more interesting than even I could predict.
Anyway, before we turn in, we've got quests to do. I'd accumulated these for the last several chapters but had been waiting for a good break in the main plot.
Cabracan: Oooohhhhhhhh there you aaaaaaaare... I trieeeeeeeed to folloooooooooow youuuuuuu but Iiiiiiii'm sooooo sloooooow!
Gucumatz: THAT CABRACAN. HIM BIG ANGRY IGNORAMUS.
Dormarth: We're here too, boyo. Yeh should remember tae complete yuir demon collection 'fore leaving a place.
Kresnik: Foul thief of money... prepare yourself, creature, for I- what!? Why can I not smite this evil dog woman?
Nanashi: Because you're both contracted to me now, dude!
Character notes: The Mayan god of earthquaked, appearing as a huge, crabby monster. He was the son of the evil bird god Vucub-Caqix, and the two of them appear as among the numbers villains in the Maya epic Popol Vuh. They were both eventually slain by the heroic twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque. He gets a bizarre hodgepodge of skills - Earthquake, Pandemic Bomb, Acid Breath and, unusually for a big lug, Mediarama.
Personality notes: Talks, and moves, really slowly.
Character notes: In Welsh lore, the black dog owned by Gwynn, the fairy king. Though male in the original shores, she's depicted as female in SMT for whatever reason. Said to guard the gates leading to the underworld. She gets Phys moves and Trafuri, the guaranteed-escape move.
Personality notes: A Catwoman-like lovable thief, with a Celtic brogue to her voice.
Character notes: A Slovenian hero, Kresnik is a shaman who opposes the evil vampire Kudlak, bringer of calamities. He can transform into animal forms, always white in color, to assist him in his battle. There was also a sun god of the same name; Kresnik the shaman is hypothesized to be a post-Christian version of this god. Gun specialist.
Personality notes: Bills himself as a great hero but is really a Holier Than Thou jerk.
Cu Chulainn: Ah, another grand hero of the Genma! We Tuatha De could use the likes of you...
Kresnik: Spare me your platitudes, lecher...
Anyway, first quest is "Looking For Strong Seeds." This takes us to the Johoku Wastes, in the northernmost part of Tokyo, to find a Domain guarding tree saplings.
Nanashi: And I though Ikebukuro had it bad... there's NOTHING left here.''
Fuu-Ki: You recruit Fuu-Ki here! Fuu-Ki live here! Fuu-Kui not nothing!
Nanashi: Well I guess you're right.
Proceed through the Domain to find a Zaccoum Horde that seemingly... want to be eaten...
MINI-BOSS: ZACCOUM HORDE
Level 47. Null Ice, Weak Wind
Spam Wind and it dies. The only thing even remotely a threat that it has is the Pandemic Bomb/Death's Door combo, which inflicts Sickness and then reduces all Sick demons' HP to 1. Still too chancy to be really damaging.
Nanashi: Alright that's that one dealt with. Creepy, though... demons that WANT to be eaten?
Zaccoum: Do not presume they speak for all Zaccoum! I wanted no part of this! ...I am pretty tasty, though!
Tlazolteotl: As typical... no one gives the avatars of unpleasant things any respect. We thank Tonatiuh for the sun or Quetzalcoatl for the wind... but my job is every bit so important!
Kanbari: What she said! And I barely know who she is!
Throne: Hark!
Nanashi: Geez, what is that!?
Throne: Do you not recognize me? Your training has elevated me from a humble Archangel all the way to the First Choir! The day of reckoning comes!
Character notes: Yes, that's a toilet she's riding around in. Tlazolteotl is the Aztec goddess of unclean things, but despite this unpleasant portfolio she was widely worshipped as she not only supervised these things, but cleansed them as well. She was also a fertility goddess, and women who died in childbirth went to her section of heaven. Ice and healing specialist.
Personality notes: Incredulous about how little respect Odd Job Gods get.
Character notes: The Third Choir of angels in Christial lore, and the first level of the First Sphere; the top three Choirs that report directly to God. Thrones are among the oddest looking angels, appearing as giant flaming wheels covered in eyes. As per their appearance, they serve as the wheels of God's chariot, Merkabah. Fire and Light specialist
Personality notes: Yet again he increases in pompousness, but he starts getting more alien and weird from hereon out.
Nanashi: And I thought Merkabah was weird-looking... Huh, there's another quest over here in south Ikebukuro.
This one is "Secure Water Source," tasking us with dispersing a Domain over a key water source (obviously) at a university in south Ikebukuro. The source of the trouble is the demon Lanling Wang, who has come here to "cleanse his agony," and his retinue of Zhens.
MINI-BOSS: FAMED LANLING WANG AND ZHEN X3
Lanling Wang: Level 53. Null Gun, Resist Elec
Zhens: Level 50. Weak Gun, Resist Force
A pretty straightforward battle. The Zhens will attack with ailment moves while Lanling, who has no weaknesses, rails on you with Phys, but while they can de-buff you they can't buff themselves. Attack the Zhens with single-strike Gun moves only, lest you run into Lanling's null.
Nanashi: Huh. Humans need that water but that was another demon that didn't seem so evil.
Lanling Wang: I am not.
Nanashi: Gah, now he's right next to me!
Lanling Wang: I merely wished to cleanse the poison from my countenance... was that so wrong of me?
Hagen: Well then you shouldn't have lost you little queeny shitheel! Blood and iron are what settles things here!
Nanashi: These two are from the same race but they couldn't be more different...
Character notes: The Prince of Lanling, a valiant Chinese hero. He was renowned for his skill as a general serving the Northern Qi Dynasty, but also of his handsome face; he wore a hideous dragon mask into battle to avoid injury to it. He was eventually assassinated by poisoning, which is referenced both in this quest and in his gameplay weakness. He's a Phys user and nulls Gun.
Personality notes: Somewhat narcissistic, if a lot less so than Narcissus himself, but in general a good guy.
Character notes: One of the main villains of the German epic Niebelungenlied, he is a warrior serving Gunther, King of Burgundy. He's the nemesis of Siegfried, the epic's hero, and managed to kill him by stabbing him in his only weak spot while his back was turned. Asshole. He got his head lopped off by Siefgried's wife for his trouble. He's another Phys user who actually comes with a unique move - Loyalty Slash, which turns into an instakill if he's smirking. As to why he has this... that's a story for later..
Personality notes: Blood Knight who believes the weak deserve to die.
Nanashi: Right then, Tokyo Dome. Somebody wants a photo of the stadium for whatever reason.
Tokyo Dome is to the south, near Shinjuku. Enter to find... a horde of zombies?
Ghoul: I shall sing you... the song... of my people...
Nanashi: Guess that explains the photo request. Least we don't have to fight them.
Ooooooh he shouldn't have said that. As we try to leave, they attack!
MINI-BOSS: HORDE CORPSE ARMY
Level 53. Null Gun, Weak Fire, Null Ice, Weak Elec, Weak Light
Like the Zaccoums, these guys aren't much of a threat. They've got Blast Arrow, Madness Nails, and Energy Drain, and that's it. Mahamaon turns them into mincemeat.
Throne: Back, foul creatures! Tokyo belongs not to you!
Nanashi: Weird... that one in the middle seemed to be calling out a name - "Lady Noa."''
Okuninushi: Oh no... could it be that man?
Zombie Cop: The Minster... moves....
Patriot: We who were sacrificed... to the depravities of the Minister... never forget...
Head to a bar to turn in the plant sample, water sample, and stadium photo. The last of these in particular is handed to an elderly Hunter by the name of Hiroshi, who reacts with shock and despair, seemingly recognizing one of the zombies as someone he knows...
Nanashi: Wow, I got to meet Hunter Hiroshi himself! Apart from Fujiwara and Skins he's been in this biz the longest!
Mithras: Yawn. Human accomplishments are as dust to us.
Parvati: Says the fellow whose cult nobody remembers?
Next quest takes us to Shinjuku National Park, a new area that sadly has no new demons, just the now-very-weak Shinjuku wildlife.
Mokoi: Shinjuku demons could still paste your pasty arse you wanker of a narrator!
We need to walk all the way around the park to get to the destination of our next quest, "National Park Farm Security," because the rigger for it, though near the entrance, is blocked by more annoying Wormwood. Our assignment is to rid the park of some encroaching weirdoes... weirdoes chanting a very familiar song.
Nanashi: Oh my sweet God not again.
Yes, it's the Maruologists once more, having taken over the park with their philosophy of doing whatever the Hell they want! Maruo doesn't beat around the bush with introductions this time - he sids three Girimehkala at you!
MINI-BOSS: GIRIMEHKALA X3
Level 55. Repel Phys, Weak Elec, Weak Wind, Weak Light, Resist Dark
These big elephants have a ton of HP but those three weaknesses aren't doing them any favors, especially given that you'll likely becoming into tier 3 hits all versions of them. Their main strategy is to use Critical Eye and then Titanomachia; this will make the move 100% accurate and guarantee a crit. Even so, the threat this poses is questionable. Tetrakarn also shuts them down completely.
Upon our victory, Maruo seems weakened. Suddenly, a huge, manly demon appears from his body - the true Grand Member of Maruology, the Overlord Mara!
Nanashi: I feel so inadequate right now.
Azumi: It's not healthy for children to look at things like this!
Mara claims he will woo regain his full power before leaving. Well, at least the whack jobs are gone from the farm.
Loki: Bravo! Bravo I say! You truly displayed a mastery of skill agains those demons! How utterly delectable!
Hel: Oh. Hello Father. Come to watch the burning of things with us?
Baldur: I swear I will get one over on you this time, traitor!
Loki: I am quaking in my boots, dear friend...
Orochi Head #1: WHY
Orochi Head #5: HELLO THERE
Orochi Head #6: YOUNG ONE!
Kushinada: Ever stranger bedfellows...
Nanashi: Huh, I've got a quest that requests bringing you...
Character notes: The Norse trickster and Big Bad of the very first piece of Megaten media, the novel Digital Devil Story! The son of the horrible giantess Laufey, he nevertheless joined the Norse gods after making a blood pact with Odin. He used his skill at deception and trickery to aid the gods many times, but eventually (possibly as a result of Christian influence) came to be seen as a dark, wicked figure, ultimately culminating in his murder of Baldur over a minor slight. For that he was imprisoned in a cave, bound until the end of the world by his son's intestines with a poisonous snake dripping venom onto his face. Once Ragnarok arrives, however, his bindings will break and he will lead an army of the dead against the gods. He gets all four -dynes, just like in his boss battle back then, and also Cold World, a Mabufudyne-like move that can instantly kill. Very useful demon.
Personality notes: A consummate trickster, of course.
Character notes: Awicked eight-headed serpent in Japanese lore. It was an enemy of the storm-god Susano-O, who got it drunk and beheaded it to save Kushinada-hime, whom he married. In the serpent's corpse was found one of the greatest treasures of Japan, the Ame-no-Murakumo sword. This sword really exists, by the way, though where it actually came from is lost to history and only high officials and royals are allowed to so much look at it. Fire and Ice specialist.
Personality notes: His heads finish each other's sentences.
We're not doing that quest just yet, though. First off we've got "Remove A Powerful Deity," which tasks us with kicking the goddess Aramisaki out of Ginza. She's on top of the bus in the Western portion of the shopping district, babbling about removing kebab... errm "foreign demons," rather.
MINI-BOSS: ZEALOT ARAMISAKI
Resist Light, Weak Dark
Aramisaki here has very high magic that she will essentially use to just cast Sea of Chaos over and over again, so Lawful demons are inadvisable for this battle. Apart from that she's easily survivable with copious Mudoon. Supposedly she focuses her attacks on your partner if it's a man and ignores them if they're a woman.
Nanashi: So demons have their own prejudices too, eh? Weird.
Thoth: Like I said back there, most of us do like you humans. A lot of us, though, latched onto a certain group over all the others. Mine was called the Egyptians.
Osiris: Thoth? Thoth is that you!
Thoth: Speak of the Ennead! Lord Pharaoh Osiris; how's tricks?
Osiris: Marvelous! I've heard you've taken up with a child rumored to be one of THOSE?
Thoth: Meet Nanashi, the best friend a demon could have... 'cept you of course.
Character notes: One of the most important Egyptian gods, he was the god of vegetation and fertility. He succeeded his grandfather, the sun god Ra, as leader of the gods, but was murdered and usurped by his brother Seth. His wife, Isis, managed to restore him to life by use of a mummification ritual, the first one ever performed, and together they conceived the sky god Horus, who grew up to take revenge on Seth. Horus became ruler of the matarial world while Osiris became the benevolent king of Duat, the afterlife. Dark-user.
Personality notes: Just a totally awesome, benevolent god.
Next up we've got "Please Help Ken," which was seemingly petitioned by a Hunter who writes like little kid. It's in the Ikebukuro underground district, which seems to be rebounding quite nicely from both Xi Wangmu's attack and Shesha's. Investigate the ticket booth to witness a scene where a man and boy are being shaken down by some Ashura-kai thugs - much to Hallelujah's displeasure. A burly Ashura-kai member, Ken, appears and begins fighting them for shaming the name of the organization. The remaining three charge us!
MINI-BOSS: ASHURA MAN X3
I couldn't find their exact stats, but they're weak to Elec and Dark and null Gun and Light IIRC. They're... actually pretty hard. They've got a ton of HP and that irritating "Barrage" attack from when they were random encounters in IV Vanilla, made worse by the fact that my Nanashi was wearing something weak to Gun at the time.
Nanashi: Gah! Curse my counterproductive clothing! You guys take it from here!
Zhu Yin: I shall make a tactical retreat as well...
Loki: Well, that was fun...
Nanashi: But wait... why am I not... wiped yet...?
Lanling Wang: You. Will not. Pass here! You swine who extort my people... fie on you!
No joke, this battle literally came down to Lanling, who nulls Gun, and these guys Cherry Tapping each other to death. Lanling won.
Nanashi: Wow... to think there are humans who have that much power...
Lanling Wang: Hah. I was human once too...
Ken angrily rebukes us from fighting; this is Ashura-kai business. After he departs we're thanked by the little boy - he, of course, was the one who posted the quest.
Zouchouten: Thou have gown mighty since besting me... but there is still something lacking in thee. I shall see to your training...
Nanashi: Oh hey, big green guy from the jar place. No hard feelings, I hope...
Anubis: Yes, this child has a virtuous heart... but the Ma'at is still strange here... his agony is not yet over...
KISHIN ZOUCHOUTEN (the Devas' full art has never been released if you can believe that)_47_25459.png/revision/latest?cb=20120424071154){kind=small}
Character notes: Zouchouten is one of the four Devas who guard the directions of the world in Buddhism. A subordinate of the god Indra or Sakra, he stands on Mount Meru, the center of the world, and watches over the south with his all-seeing gaze. His weapon is a trident. He's a Fire-user.
Personality notes: A steadfast guardian god. All the Devas are like that.
Character notes: The jackal-headed god of mummification in Egyptian lore. He's the son of Seth and Nephthys, but stands against his father, siding with his uncle Osiris; he was, in fact, the one who performed the aforementioned mummification ceremony. He's since taken on the role of one of his uncle's top subordinates and is responsible for determining the final destination of the dead by literally weighing their good deeds against their bad. He uses both Light and Dark, and gets the tier four hits-all Light move, Judgment Light, making him a must-fuse.
Personality notes: A mystic shaman sort, very concerned with destiny.
Nanashi: Wheeeew... everyone good and healed? Well, one quest left. Napaea from the Fairy Forest made a request to bring Orochi there to meet some... scary god.
Orochi Head #3: OH BOY! ME HOPE
Orochi Head #7: HE HAVE
Orochi Head #8: POPCORN OR TASTY HUMAN!
Head there to be greeted by Napaea and... Take-Mikazuchi of the Amatsukami!
Take-Minakata: OH THAT RAGING ASSHOLE!
Mikazuchi has taken an interest in Nanashi's sword, Ame no Habakiri. He refers to it as his "father," and says it has a request - to be used to slay the dragon Orochi!
Orochi Head #5: WAIT WHA-
(TAKE-MIKAZUCHI cuts OROCHI to pieces!)
Nanashi: Gah!
Take-Minakata: Asshole! ASSHOLE!
Mithras: ...they all betray us...
Knocker: Sweeeeeeeet...
Sarasvati: How pedestrian...
Habakiri shatters, which Mikazuchi says it wanted, as it had been used to slay a child once. In the serpent's corpse, however, we find the even stronger Ame-no-Murakumo, just like in the actual myth of the Orochi. Wee also get a Compendium Ticket, allowing for a Macca-free summoning, presumably to get our Orochi back.
Orochi Head #1: WHAT
Orochi Head #2: THE HELL
Orochi Head #5: WAS THAT?
Nanashi: I'm sorry I'm sorry I didn't know he was going to do that!
Orochi Head #4: YOU LUCKY ME AGGREGATE'
Orochi Head #6: OF COLLECTIVE HUMAN THOUGHT WITH NO REAL PHYSICAL BODY
Orochi Head #8: OR ELSE THAT ACTUALLY KILL ME!
Nanashi: Geez, I meen, nobody really got hurt, right?
Orochi Head #2: YOU STILL MAKE ME RE-ENARCT PART OF MYTH WHERE ME LOSE!
Orochi Head #3: ME HATE WHEN THAT HAPPEN!
Orochi Head #6: TOMORROW... ME GET YOU!
And we all agreed to never speak of this again.
