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Chapter 65: 6/23: Cause For Alarm (New)
I built a computer over the holiday! No real reason to share this with you, I just wanted to brag! Though, if there’s any rough edges on this update, it’s because I need to adapt my workflow to this new machine. That’s the only possible reason anything might look weird. Other than the 13 Sentinels board, anyway, that nightmare always looks weird.
Music: Price
Well, time to leave the Palace.
…Oh?
It’s like… I forgot my homework *and* pooped my pants at the same time…
Music: Aria of the Soul
Huh, this is… interesting.
So… Igor… this place looks a bit… different. Have you been remodeling?
So glad you noticed! We’re tearing out the old floors, going full marble for the countertops, and replacing those old, dull guillotine blades! I can’t tell you the last time we did any serious work on our execution equipment, someone could really hurt themselves using those things!
This is a failsafe to ensure you do not neglect your rehabilitation. It’s intended to push you into performing executions. We call it a “Fusion Alarm.”
It’s a warning system that tells you when you’ve been slacking off on your duties! When you hear this sound, the first things on your mind should be this place and executions!
You must become stronger for the sake of your rehabilitation.
Executions will be much more severe when the alarm is sounding! The result of this is that any fused Personas will be further strengthened!
However, the more executions that you perform during the alarm, the higher the chance of an accident occurring. With that in mind, you must prepare more than usual while performing executions in the midst of an alarm.
The alarm will sound after you’ve endured numerous repeated battles! Make certain you come here as soon as you hear it! Got that!?
Good! You’d better make excellent use of the alarm!
Basically, the Fusion Alarm means that wild shit’s gonna happen. We can activate an alarm by getting into a bunch of fights. No concrete number, just “a bunch.”
You get the opportunity for more stats and more inherited skills, as well as the possibility of skills changing. But using the same execution method multiple times has an increased chance of causing a fusion accident.
If you use a Persona created during the current alarm, you can get even crazier bonuses… but the chance of an accident occurring will increase again if you do that.
Also, the alarm ends if we leave or talk to the twins, and we get kicked out if an accident happens.
If we select the Inmate Registry, we can see the twins… uh…
…Doing a fusion dance?
Oh, I see, it’s some weird cooperative calisthenics. Whatever.
BUT, if you keep treading the same ground in your fusions, you might not get the results you expect! So, look out!
So, I’m firmly in the camp that likes to go buck wild and take full advantage of the fusion alarm by doing as many executions as I can until the game ejects me. People who remember the Persona 4 Endurance Run probably have some idea (and some perhaps not-so-fond memories) of what’s about to happen: That’s right, baby! Tell your disappointment to suck it! I’m doing a fusion episode!
First up, Shiki-Ouji from Ippon-Datara and Leanan Sidhe.
Ooh, I see they’ve mixed some yellow into the usual blue viscera.
And so shiny!
You have that mask in your heart. That means you my peer!
Worth noting that our stat increases from the alarm, shown in blue, are considerable in size. Anyway, remember when I would do little Persona descriptions when I fused? Well, time to bring those back.
Shiki-Ouji is a powerful shikigami (not a shinigami, that’s Death Note). It’s ferocious and can only be summoned as a servant by the most elite practitioners of the arts of Yin and Yang.
Two of our skills, Double Shot and Psio, have turned red.
Eh, sure, why not?
Hey, Double Shot is now Cornered Fang (Medium Physical to one enemy, more damage when surrounded) and Psio is now Mapsio! That’s… kind of a wash, honestly. Mapsio isn’t a bad upgrade (though regular Psio is debatably more useful) but a good Gun skill to a mediocre Physical one isn’t great.
Then we level up and replace some skills (including Cornered Fang) with Mapsi (worthless now) and Dekaja.
Your new Persona is temporarily overflowing with power. You might get some unexpected results if you use this one in a ritual during the alarm. Even if it’s not the result you expect, something big will happen—so you’d better make it work for you!
Interesting…
Let’s back off the guillotine for now. We should explore our other options before going back to it.
Let’s check out the Electric Chair’s offerings.
This Spiral Aid Charm from Kushi Mitama seems good. Who doesn’t want Media, right? And we’ve got plenty of Black Rocks to make it from.
Pressing Square will reveal the effect of the alarm: it gets upgraded from an Aid Charm, which just gives normal Dia.
Seems like a bargain, let’s do it.
Let’s try Lockdown now.
You can only lock up one Persona at a time, though. And, while it’s locked up, you won’t be able to use it in battle or fusions. If you forget that, it’s all on you! As the days pass, your Persona will grow stronger and learn a new resistance. That’s not all—if you make sure to burn some incense, the Persona will grow even more! If you want more detail that that, you’ll have to ask later. For now, get a Persona into Lockdown!
Oh, right, we didn’t actually go through the tutorial for this.
Oh-ho! I don’t know where you got that incense, but you should use it with this Persona! All right, pick a Persona to lock up, then burn the incense! You’ll see the effects by tomorrow at the earliest!
Let’s do Rakshasa, because it has two weaknesses.
We’ll do the Luck incense, partly because of Rakshasa’s low Luck stat, but mostly because we have three of them and I’m not terribly invested in this Persona. But the incense effect is doubled from the alarm, anyway, so cool.
The Persona is a part of your heart. If it stays away from you for too long, it could disappear. We’ll give you a single warning before it happens, but after that, it’s entirely on you.
Let’s return to the guillotine and make a Sui-Ki from Matador and Orthrus.
Overflowing power has joined you along with that new mask…
Sui-Ki is one of the four oni controlled by Fujiwara-no-Chikata. Its name means “Water Oni” and it can freeze anything to the core.
I might regret losing Mabufu, but let’s see what this change is…
Baisudi (cures Burn/Freeze/Shock). Blegh. Not a good skill to lose Mabufu for.
Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time.
Now, let’s try Nigi Mitama from Ame-no-Uzume and Orthrus.
Chippity Choppity!
Uh oh, the guillotine has gone Stippity Stoppity!
The twins quickly rectify this.
You want to be with me so much you’re making me a mask? Sure, do whatever your heart desires.
Understatement.
So… we’re stuck with this level 7 Succubus. Ugh. A succubus is a demon from European folklore that takes the form of an attractive woman to seduce men. They use energy from these men to sustain themselves, often until those men deteriorate and die.
You will have to take your leave while the equipment undergoes maintenance.
Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to try to fuse a Persona from an alarm result Persona, so we’ll have to save that for the next alarm. Let’s just say the twins weren’t kidding when they said those fusions get weird.
Double unfortunately, we’re not quite done in there, so… let’s go right back in!
Phoenix from Kelpie and Yaksini.
I am the true master of all winged beasts… and so, I shall become a mask and bestow peace upon thee…
The Persona description for this one is “The legendary bird of Chinese myth, said to only appear in times of peace. It is the ruler of all birds. When it dies, birds across the land chirp with sadness.” This is apparently not the legendary firebird, as I learned when I went to the Megaten wiki, this is a different entity conflated with it, also known as Feng Huang. The recently released SMTV actually has the proper name, but not Persona 5 for some reason!
Remember, we need Phoenix with Counter for our Strength requests, and we’ve just fulfilled that request with this fusion.
Next, Nigi Mitama from Succubus and Orthrus.
Kindness is a blessing of repose. I shall become a mask and grant tranquility to your soul…
Nigi Mitama is one of the mitamas, the calm and functional side of a person or spirit’s soul. It is the opposite of the Ara Mitama.
Lastly, we’re going to make Anzu from Oni and Matador.
If you have the mask, then let us ascend together to the apex…
Let’s see the twins now that we have that Phoenix with Counter.
What is it, Inmate? Need to check on your penal labor?
This presence… You have brought a Phoenix with Counter, just as we asked.
Heh… Very well. Your assignment’s done.
Strength Rank 4: Part 59
His Personas are getting decently strong as well. Seems like this “rehabilitation” stuff is working.
Hmm… Is fostering the Inmate’s Personas… truly rehabilitation?
Don’t look at me, man. I have no idea what that even means.
Where’s this coming from?
It’s merely a thought…
Get your head in the game, Justine! These are our master’s orders! You’re gonna get us in trouble!
I didn’t mean to cause an issue…
Listen, Justine. This guy’s not that important, even if he is the wild card. Just follow the plan, and everything will work out.
Wait… the wild card!? Whoever wrote this list must have known that the person carrying out these tasks would possess it…
But even our master didn’t know the Inmate would have that! That’s impossible!
I know you guys are in the middle of some manner of existential crisis, but can I have my reward now?
Shut up! We already told you you’re not getting rewarded until you finish your next task!
Hmph. Either way, this’ll all get resolved if you just hurry up and finish your rehabilitation already! Justine, give him his next task so he’ll quit talking back!
…Very well. It seems that it is time for us to be serious.
I feel like my bond with Caroline and Justine is growing deeper…
As previously mentioned, here is the second task you must complete before receiving your reward.
You only need speak with us once you obtain it. We will be able to tell.
Go work up a sweat, Inmate!
Well, that’s all we needed to do in there.
Music: Price
You’re right… And once we send it, the heist is the only thing left… We have to succeed… I’ll let you decide when we do it, Joker. Let’s make sure we’re ready before then!
After School → Evening
Music: Beneath the Mask
We should do it soon. We have no guarantee Kaneshiro will keep his word.
Honestly, I can’t wait to send it. I want to put a stop to his nasty crimes as soon as possible.
NASTY CRIMES
>That… terminology is a bit out-of-character Makoto, but I suppose I agree.
We’ll be ready to go whenever you are!
More Thieves’ Den stuff.
(Game Show Host) Consider the following… A: Paying a machine fake money/B: Ordering food without money/Which one of these counts as fraud? You be the judge!
(Game Show Host) The correct answer is… B! Ordering food when you don’t have any money!
(Lawyer) Fraud involves deceiving a person. That’s why ordering food when you don’t have money counts as fraud. If you use fake coins on a vending machine or at the coin laundry, it’s considered larceny.
So doing a dine and dash is actually fraud? Whoa, I should watch out for that?
How often are you dining and dashing? When would you even be in the position to do that?
It feels like I’ve improved my Knowledge.
Maaku gains Knowledge +1.
We feed our plant the good stuff. Maaku gains Kindness +3.
We have no Lockpicks left and we’re probably just going to send the calling card tomorrow, so let’s read this crafting book so we can craft more after we send it.
Music: Everyday Days
What a vague answer… Maybe it’s trying to say that it’s important to stay motivated.
I had my doubts about this book, but the latter half of it was a worthwhile read!
Cool, now we can craft even more.