Mithras: I sincerely doubt this is going to end well. It rarely does when angels are involved. They act like they have humanity's best interests at heart, but you'd be surprised at what claiming that allows people to get away with. Or angels. Or... demons. You know what they say the about the road to Hell and all. But somehow, I doubt in this case, the road to Heaven is much more pleasant...
Head to the Lab and give the Clement Bell to Irving. Even with his personality messed with he's still every bit as smart, and can whip up the Unlock D app just as easily as he can on Neutral. As a side note, he's probably the one whose transformation is most unnerving, as he still has his accent. A modern Southern accent plus a Medieval-type personality put you pretty deep in the Uncanny Valley, in my opinion.
Drake: Brrr... he was my friend, and I did this to him? He doesn't seem unhappy, but I have to wonder if he CAN be unhappy in this state... But if I save the world, doesn't that make it worth it? I mean, at least he's not dead, right?
Mithras: From a certain point of view, I guess... What was it you tore into me for? "Scooping out your friends' brains," was it? ...What do you call this, then?
Drake: ...
Anyway, it's time for a Cosmic Egg hunt! Yay? You'll find them in the exact same places you find them in any other route, but one pro of taking Law or Chaos is that you'll have two less bosses to deal with. Well, it's not like these "bosses" are very strong, but whatever.
Antila's Egg is on the first floor, past the Boss Rush doohickey I talked about last time. Open the Unlock D door (the one with the red lock) and head through. There are some Chaos demons around here you can chat with, but they'll give you the cold shoulder on any route other than Chaos.
Mushussu: I BELIEVE IT WAZZZZZZ A FOUNDER OF YOURRRRRR COUNTRRRRY WHO SAID THAT THOZZZZZE WHO WOULD ZZZZACRIFICE LIBERTY FOR ZZZZZZECURITY DEZZZZERVE NEITHERRRR...
Drake: A sentiment with a point, but I can't say I agree. I'm a soldier; my job is security, sort of.
Past here is a set of three doors. Take the middle one first to go into a "blue" darkness passage, which the Visualizer A should be able to see through, no problem. Past here is another set of three doors; the bottom one here is the correct one. Through here is a "red" darkness passage that the Visualizer B is used for.
Kaso: 'I d-don't l-like the d-dark...''
Gremlin: Among the many reasons you were beat up in elementary school, you wuss!
High Pixie: I must say it's nice to be home in the region you call Antila again... if only it were under better circumstances...
Another set of three doors is beyond this passage. the middle one is again the correct one here, and beyond it is your first encounter with "yellow" darkness, which you'll need the Visualizer C to see through, and Drake doesn't have that yet. I'll just tell you the door is on the south wall of the fifth square of this passage.
Kaso: D-dark... d-d-d-.... WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
In here is a save point and a hidden door, and beyond that, the mini boss guarding the Cosmic Egg!
=MINI-BOSS: WU KONG=
Level 54. Null Phys, Null Gun, Strong Fire, Weak Ice, Weak Elec, Null Ice, Null Dark
To defeat the Wu Kong, shoot at it until it dies. The most he'll likely get off is a Taunt, which lowers your defense but raises attack; as such, this'll probably end up hurting him more than you.
Drake: Alright... that's one... fairly harmless...
Jueyuan: Harmless!? You beat up the Monkey King! I must to penance; I am a disgrace to primate-kind...
Next one is in Bootes. This one is ridiculously easy to get to. Take the elevator to the sixth floor of Mitra's palace, find the Unlock D door, and keep heading up. You may remember the room this Egg is in as the one we killed Zelenin deader than Fred Phelps in on Neutral (yes I went there). Here, though, there's just a Yatagarasu, who, being a Law demon, will happily hand the Egg over.
Drake: There's the wreck of the Gigantic, too. I'm glad, at least, that I don't have to go mucking around with nukes this time. Or... killing friends. This time... time... time?
CRASH
You're one of my best friends
CRASH
Drake: Alright, who said that? And where's that... knocking... coming from?
Orthrus: You just nuts. No one knock; me just chew stick!
Gogmagog: Getting off me be you!
Take-Minakata: The Amatsukami's messengers have cast their lot with the God of Light? Because that worked so well last time. Mikazuchi did this, didn't he? Just to piss me off...
CRASH
I FOUND A NICKEL.
CRASH
Now, time to get to Carina. This one is, as I mentioned last time, the most annoying one to get, and I'll be going into more detail this time. It involves not one, not two, but three Phase Shifts. First head up the stairs straight ahead to the Phase Shifter up there. Shift to A when you get to the second floor and head to the northern stairs, which would be blocked off otherwise. Up on the third floor, get to this floor's Sanctum entrance and shift to type B. You'll find yourself in a little maze of square rooms with Gate Search B doors connecting them.
Melchom: These rooms seem to be where Sir Horkos kept his... stash, for lack of a better term...
There's some pretty good treasure in these rooms, by the way, so finish looting and head to the southern stairway. This'll spit you out next to the second Phase Shifter on 2, so shift to B here. Exit the sanctum to the west, then head to the northern door to re-enter it. There's an Unlock D door near here, enter it to find, again, a Terminal and a hidden door leading to the mini boss (Carina being another Chaos-controlled sector).
Ame-no-Uzume: *ulp* I think I have... sanctum sickness...
Take-Minakata: Lady Uzume, please tell me it isn't true you Amatsu have cast lots with the God of Law! He screwed us both last time!
Ame-no-Uzume: To the best of my knowledge, no, but I've always had a more moderate view of him than you...
Take-Minakata: Figures. Figgin' Nymphs.
Enter the hidden door and...
=MINI-BOSS: ZHU YIN=
Level 61. Strong Gun, Null Light, Null Dark
Well, he's got no weaknesses and Megido, but with less than 1500 health that's not gonna save him from being two-rounded by you.
Nozuchi: YOU SLAY A DRAGON? THAT BAD JUJU! DRAGONS AM NOBLE; WHAT YOU THINKING?
Drake: I've got this all planned out, don't you... worry...
Asherah: SIR THOTH... HOW MUCH OF WHAT HE TELLS HIMSELF DO YOU THINK HE BELIEVES?
Thoth: Hmm... have to ruminate on that for a bit. But, Lady Asherah... me n' the Ladies Norn have an "exit strategy" if'n he jumps too far down the slope...
Asherah: WELL THIS, I CERTAINLY HOPE IT WORKS...
Compared to Carina's Egg, Delphinus's is a snap. Past the fourth and final Unlock D door is a mini-conveyor maze, but it's fairly straightforward. What you want to do is get to the conveyor controlling switch, hit it, then ride the northern, horizontal conveyor east. You'll have to do this twice, hitting the switch again, to reach the elevator, so be sure to look for the hidden doors that'll let you back into the second part of the maze. Take the elevator to the top level, find the hidden door, and receive the Egg from the Cherub who'd have fought you for it on Neutral and Chaos.
Drake: All right... all right... take stock... four Cosmic Eggs, zero dead friends. Maybe this will work out after all. Huh.
Sandman: Methinks he's in for a rude awakenin'. Now will alla you stop rudely awakenin' me?
CRASH
I never even knew her first name.
CRASH CRASH
The hunt for the Cosmic Eggs ends when Zelenin gives Drake a call (over his DEMONICA, actually; apparently telepathy is not a standard-issue angel power) and tells his to regroup at Horologium, as the Supply Crew has fixed the elevator leading to Mem Aleph?''
Frost Ace: Does that mean-ho that she's the captain now?
Momunofu: BOO!
Mithras: So, tell me honestly, Sir Simian - what's gotten into our fearless leader. It doesn't seem he was affected by the song, so is he telling the truth that he feels this way will make everything better? Is he just over the moon for that blonde trollop? Did killing that hairless undead fellow shatter his mind? What's going on here? You're supposed to know everything, so talk!
CRASH
Tell me everything.
CRASH CRASH CRASH
Thoth: You're right, the song didn't get him. Near as I can tell, he ain't lyon' to himself. Most he's doin' is telling' himself a few convenient fictions. As to where this'll lead... well, y'know how fate gets around this kid...
CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH
To be continued...
Comments
- The title is a line from Jesus Christ Superstar. My chapter titles are all music-themed, so how could I resist this on a Law route playthrough?
- There's a movie reference in here, too. See if you can find it!
- Drake was not affected by the song. This is a point that's a bit ambiguous in the game itself, but I went with "not" due to choices being one of the Central Themes of the series. It's a lot more meaningful if Drake does everything from now on of his own free will, no? Making him just another victim of the song removes all his agency.
- I had Mithras get in the last word on the whole "brain-scooping" point from last chapter, and I'm not sure I should have. Thoughts?
- Finally, Dragonfire requested (via PM), that I add reactions from Drake's Neutral and Chaos demons, so I tried to deliver.
