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P2129 Quest: RECAP 1

Jan 14th, 2016
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  1. [This recap covers PART 1 of the quest (i.e. Threads 1 -29) and serves as a reference for current readers. For first time readers it is recommended that you read through the actual quest threads]
  2.  
  3. Persona 2129 Quest began on the 22nd of June 2015, almost immediately after the last main thread of Harem Bro Quest. As the name implies, the year was 2129. Humanity had reached the eight billion mark and is still going strong. We were then introduced to our unnamed protagonist and the Velvet Room, which is run-down, dusty and occupied by two twins as opposed to Igor and his assistants. After answering a bunch of a questions, the protagonist took form: Takashi Wakui, preference for unarmed combat and lacking a ‘mask’ of his own. He then left his dream and woke up in the real world.
  4.  
  5. Episode 1: Awakening began. The date was 27-Mar-2129. More details about the protagonist were revealed. Takashi was (and still is) living in Akumachi City in the Imperial Empire of Japan. He has a mother, a sister and a retconned father. It was then revealed that half of humanity possesses a Persona—the ability to summon a manifestation of one’s spirit from within one’s own soul. All Personas are capable of performing superhuman feats and utilizing magic. The Major Arcana from the Rider-Waite tarot deck are used to categorize Personas (Magician, Priestess, Empress). Every human also has an Arcana inscribed onto their soul, whether they have the potential to summon a Persona or not. Japan has 40% of the world’s Persona users and Akumachi City was specifically constructed to study Personas.
  6.  
  7. Takashi’s phone then rang. The cause was the mysterious AETHER app. It claimed to be an open-world survival RPG game, but had no real functionality whatsoever. For some reason, any attempts made my Takashi to remove it were fruitless. He then received a garbled notification from the application, telling him that something would happen at roughly 6:30 pm the next day. He dismissed it and went to the dining room for breakfast. Shizuka Wakui, Takashi’s older sister, was then introduced (albeit not in Persona). She is of the Strength Arcana, very powerful and attended an ordinary high school (meaning that it allowed both Persona-users and ordinary people).
  8.  
  9. Takashi then contemplated about how most children gained their Personas between the age of ten and fifteen, while very few gain theirs at sixteen and above. Since Takashi himself was sixteen, it meant that he had more or less given up on ever gaining his Persona. After eating breakfast, he tried to fix his phone by wiping it clean and reinstalling his OS. His efforts were for naught, as the AETHER program simply reinstalled itself the moment he rebooted his phone. His apartment doorbell then rang before Takashi smashed his phone out of frustration.
  10.  
  11. A girl was at the door. She was bearing sweets in repayment for Takashi and Shizuka helping her move in earlier that week. She introduced herself as Celeste Tachibana and that she would be living in the floor above Takashi’s apartment for a while. Social Stats were also introduced: INTELLIGENCE, UNDERSTANDING, CHARISMA and WILLPOWER. Takashi had been the ‘intelligent’ name in the character creation, so he automatically gained 10 points of INTELLIGENCE. He was still a Slacker, however. Takashi and Celeste parted ways amicably and Takashi decided to watch television for the rest of the night. An android idol program was playing, revealing that artificial intelligence has become common in the world.
  12.  
  13. Takashi slept in late the next day. Shizuka woke him up and said that she was going on the early shift, so Takashi would be alone that night. She left him 1500 Macca, the currency of Japan, on the table. He got snacks from a local convenience store and decided to wander around the city. AETHER sent him another notification, asking him to choose a perk. He chose Increased Stat Gains, but did not think much of it at the time. AETHER then updated and showed him the notification from yesterday, except made clear. It told him that today at 6:30 pm Shadows, creatures born from the negative emotions of humanity, would attack the city. Lo and behold, the notification was right. Shadows attack the fourth district of Akumachi City, the entertainment district and Takashi tripped himself trying to escape from the chaos. Shadowy arms then grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him into a pool of darkness. An initiation sequence then begun.
  14.  
  15. After an indeterminable amount of time, Takashi woke up in a mysterious place. He was strapped to a metal table. An unknown figure asked him about his innate Arcana and he replied it was the Hermit (9). He found when he visited the doctor with his mother, Rumi Wakui. The unknown figure then stabbed Takashi with a syringe and injected an ethereal blue fluid into him, causing him to experience extreme pain and ultimately black out. He woke up amidst in the ruins of a long-forgotten city. A voice on his phone told him that the AETHER tutorial had begun. The realm he was in was called the Blackened Void and he was in its main hub area. Takashi acquired some treasure, including a pair of steel-tipped boots, and was then attacked by Shadows. He struggled against them, almost to the point of getting killed.
  16.  
  17. Then he summoned his Persona, Ippon-Datara of the Fool Arcana. He destroyed the Shadows and took the loot they dropped. It was then revealed the city he was in was called the Forgotten City. The AETHER tutorial then led him to a safehouse. He could upgrade with Build EXP and used some to give it an Internet Connection and hot water. He exited the Blackened Void and entered the real world. There, he met Celeste who scolded him for disappearing for three whole days. Also, his sister was extremely worried about him.
  18.  
  19. Takashi and Celeste went back to his apartment. Shizuka almost hugged Takashi to death, then demanded he explain where he had been. Takashi replied he summoned his Persona and showed it. He almost told Shizuka he was of the Fool Arcana, but bit his tongue before he could get the words out. Shizuka then invited her friends from her Anti-Shadow Operative squad to celebrate. Takashi and Celeste bonded over drinking spicy alcohol and chatting on the way to Celeste’s apartment. She also showed him her Persona: Sati, the first consort of Shiva. There, Takashi gained his first Social Link: the Magician. Episode 1 concluded.
  20.  
  21. Takashi entered the Velvet Room in his dreams and met the Velvet Twins. They explained how pitiful he was in comparison to his predecessors and gave him the moniker ‘Weakest One’. They explained a bunch of mechanics and then sent him away.
  22.  
  23. Episode 2: Bonds began. On 1-Apr-2129, Takashi received a video call from his mother who was overseas. The two of them talked and Rumi told Takashi she had enrolled him in Akumachi-Kirijo Academy for the Supernaturally Talented—a private high school exclusively for Persona-users. Takashi then headed outside to take a tour of his new academy. Celeste was doing the same. They decided to go together. We found out it was built by Mitsuru Kirijo, who died somewhere in the 2060s. Takashi and Celeste then met the android teacher Veleis Watanabe, who had taught Rumi Wakui when she was a teenager. She then took Takashi and Celeste on a tour around the academy. Takashi then caught sight of a blue butterfly in the corridors and followed it.
  24.  
  25. He found the entrance to the Velvet Room and went inside. The Velvet Twins explained that his power came from his bonds and that new Personas would be granted to him when his bonds reached certain levels. They then gave him Pixie of the Magician Arcana. Takashi exited and, after being interrogated by Celeste as to his whereabouts, resumed the tour.
  26.  
  27. Later that night, Celeste went outside to do some shopping. It was revealed that her phone had been infected by AETHER and she was undergoing the same crisis as Takashi. Before she could do anything about it, a car accident occurred and she was caught in it. Time froze and the shadowy hands dragged her down into the void, allowing her to join the game. The next morning, Takashi received a new notification telling him that Celeste would be murdered by the Denizens in her sector, the Hazebound Woodlands, if he did not rescue her. 40 hours remained.
  28.  
  29. Takashi then resolved to rescue Celeste. He looked around the house for any useful stuff, then entered the Blackened Void through a door in an alleyway. Another AETHER tutorial popped up, explaining the basics of rescuing a new Player. It also told him about keys and that were numerous doors scattered across the Blackened Void leading to various places in the real world. Takashi then used two iron keys to open doors to a healing hot springs and a blacksmith’s shop. After stocking up, he left for a nearby train station and boarded the Hollow Express. It took him to the Hazebound Woodlands. We then saw Celeste making her way through the Hazebound Woodlands in the past, before getting hunted by elves and eventually captured. Upon her capture, her phone emitted a distress signal.
  30.  
  31. In the Hazebound Woodlands, Takashi fought Shadows and encountered a bonfire. The AETHER tutorial told him they were resting spots in the Blackened Void. They ward off enemies and restore vitality and mana. The skill Trafuri would also teleport the Players to the nearest bonfire. Takashi then made his way over a nearby set of ruins guarded by diseased elves. Celeste’s distress signal was pointing to there, so he knocked out the elves and entered. Celeste was chained to a wall. Takashi broke the chains with Ippon-Datara’s hammer and gave her some food. Together, they escaped and returned back to the real world. They had another conversation and became friends. The Fool Social Link, named the Void’s Chosen, was unlocked. Episode 2 concluded.
  32.  
  33. Episode 3: Cooldown began. 4-Apr-2129 was Takashi’s first day at his new school. In his opinion, his new uniform was okay. Celeste and Takashi walked there together. Upon arriving, he discovered he was in Class 5-3 and in House FALCO. Celeste was in Class 5-2 and House CALIBAN. He then attended the first assembly of the year. There, we were introduced to the student council president Eriko Ozaki. She possessed the Judgement Arcana and the Persona Hachiman. She was also quite popular around the school. Takashi went to the bathroom and discovered from Celeste (chocolat_orange) that AETHER had a private messaging system. He attended his first homeroom, only to be interrupted by Veleis-sensei’s husband Sachi Watanabe. He then met Takauji Koyoura, who explained a bit about Eriko and dueling. Takashi then received a message from the Velvet Room twins. He ignored it and ate lunch at the cafeteria instead. He ended up going to the Velvet Room anyway, where he received the Persona Slime of the Fool Arcana.
  34.  
  35. Later that afternoon, we were introduced to Takashi’s predecessor—Kaede Kurusu, bearer of the Fool and World Arcana and the Last Word. Years ago, World War III had taken place. It was initially humans against humans over Personas and magic, but the first Shadows appeared and attacked humanity. Kaede then appeared out of nowhere and used the power of her main Persona, the Demiurge of the World Arcana, to destroy all the most threatening Shadows in the world. Then she flew to North Korea and nuked it.
  36.  
  37. Understandably, the major of the powers of the world saw her as a threat. They tried to assassinate her. Kaede waited in the Pacific Ocean for their combined assault. They launched nuclear bombs at her, to little effect. This was because of her skill Null Nuclear. Kaede told the world to give up and returned to Japan. Her actions that day created a stigma of all Fools being ungodly creatures of mass destruction.
  38.  
  39. After school, Takashi called Celeste to the Blackened Void. He reveals his status as a Fool. Celeste freaked out, but calmed down and accepted the truth in the end. Celeste then swore she won’t ever reveal Takashi’s secret to the public. This strengthens the Magician Social Link to Level 2. Finally, the two of them used Build EXP and spawned a bonfire outside the safehouse.
  40.  
  41. On the 5-Apr-2129, Takashi and Celeste witnessed an argument between Eriko Ozaki and a blonde-haired delinquent in front of the academy Battlegrounds. Eriko tried to get the boy to join the student council, but the boy tells her to fuck off. She coplied. That afternoon, Takashi joined the martial arts club and runs into Takauji. Takauji trained Takashi and invited him for a quick spar. Takashi obviously lost. The two of them became acquaintances. The Lovers Social Link was formed, much to the players’ horror.
  42.  
  43. That night, Takashi went to Synth Central, the fourth district of Akumachi City, and read a Kaede Kurusu doujin. He got chased out, but manages to gain some stat boosts anyway. The next day, he studied in the school library and meets a girl on her laptop. The two of them nodded at each other, but nothing much happens. Then the blonde boy from yesterday stormed in. A group of girls confronted him, revealing that his name was Akikazu Osaragi. Said girls angered Akikazu and he intimidated them away. He left the library and Takashi picked up the wallet he left behind.
  44.  
  45. Being the responsible boy that he is, Takashi went after Akikazu. Turns out he left the school. He later came back in the afternoon, grumbling about thugs and Taksahi hands him the wallet. After questioning Takashi for a bit, Akikazu decided to pay his debt. The two of them end up eating ramen together. The Hanged Man Social Link was unlocked.
  46.  
  47. The next day, Takashi attended Persona Manipulation class and studies Persona Augmentation—the act of using the powers of one’s Persona without actually summoning it. Takashi then went to martial arts club in the afternoon, increasing the Lovers Social Link to Level 2.
  48.  
  49. On the 8-Apr-2129, Takashi attended the first of his electives: Computer Programming and Information Technology. He met the girl from the library and nodded at her again. At lunch, Celeste and Takashi discussed about the Blackened Void and AETHER. They chatted about game mechanics, supplies and using Shadows for free experience. In the afternoon, the two of them decided to explore the Forgotten City—Takashi’s sector. They fought Shadows and discovered an entrance to an underground cavern. Despite their fear, they descend and wind up in a basement. There were two doors, the first of which Celeste was frightened of. Takashi entered through it and came across a computer. A figure called the Observer typed words on the screen and told Takashi that he was in the Forlorn Abyss, the bonus dungeon of the Blackened Void. Takashi and Observer discussed a number of things. The Observer’s role is to answer the questions proposed by the Leader of the Players. The truth behind AETHER and the Blackened Void is hidden in the Forlorn Abyss. The Forlorn Abyss is divided into seven Acts and seven Intermissions and is populated exclusively by demons. The computer then exploded, preventing Takashi from conversing from it. After seeing the -8 modifier to all rolls, Takashi and Celeste left the Forlorn Abyss.
  50.  
  51. Back in the real world, Akikazu saved a kid from a group of thugs in the Grey Ward, the ninth district of the city. He yelled at the kid to stay away from these parts, then left. He received a flashback about Eriko and grew frustrated. Then the AETHER app sent him a notification on his phone. A warehouse nearby exploded and Akikazu was dragged into the void.
  52.  
  53. On the 10-Apr-2129, Takashi and Celeste received the notification of Akikazu’s entry. His sector, Pyre Ruin Valley, was displayed. They talked about him for a bit then made preparations for his rescue mission. Takashi got Inugami of the Hanged Man and Moh Shuuvu of the Lovers from the Velvet Room. He then unlocked a gun shop staffed by a crabby violet-haired woman and a friendly augmentation surgeon. Since neither Takashi nor Celeste had enough Macca, they left without buying much. On the train to Pyre Ruin Valley, Takashi watched a video his teacher had sent him for History class. It showed Kaede Kurusu subjugating South Korea, absorbing into the Imperial Empire of Japan.
  54.  
  55. Takashi and Celeste arrived at Pyre Ruin Valley, a land of heat and eternal sunset. They embarked on their journey to Akikazu’s distress beacon, encountering booby-trapped bonfires and a Knight miniboss which they win against. Then the players rolled a nat 1 and a murder of crows assaulted the duo. They wisely retreated. In the past, Akikazu tried to fight a black knight, but was knocked out and dragged away.
  56.  
  57. To ease the trauma, Takashi went out to Synth Central that night and watched the first episode of the Harem Bro Quest anime. Then he met a small, blonde girl attempting to use a vending machine. The girl introduced herself as Kozue Yusa and the two of them bonded. The Death Social Link was unlocked.
  58.  
  59. Takashi went to sleep and woke up in the Velvet Room. After talking about the symbolism behind the Death tarot, the Velvet Twins gave Takashi the Hollow Deathstone and the Blank Cards. Takashi is to hunt down various existences that ‘wronged’ the Velvet Twins. Upon their deaths, he will either be able to suck their souls into the cards, giving him new Personas or let the souls decay and retrieve the treasures left behind.
  60.  
  61. Back in the real world, Takashi attended a FALCO House meeting supervised by House Captain Yoshino Sagisawa. She told him ways of gaining prestige around campus, including excelling at Inter-house competitions. At lunch, Takashi bought the mapo tofu and ate it with Celeste. It was delicious but gave Takashi the sensation of having the entire contents of a volcano dumped into his mouth. He gained a large stat boost as well. Celeste couldn’t handle it and ran off.
  62.  
  63. That afternoon, Takashi and Celeste resumed their rescue mission. This time, they annihilated the murder of crows and make their way to an abandoned town. They searched the area, finding standard video game text scraps and a RING OF DISPLACEMENT. They located a basement and found Akikazu Osaragi. They released him and used a Trafuri Canister to teleport back to the last bonfire. Unfortunately, the black knight that knocked Akikazu out was waiting for them. Akikazu attacked it with a war hammer and summoned his Persona Ubelluris, the mountain god. Cue the standard boss battle. Takashi had a flashback to when his sister and mother fought, where he asked why people fight. Time flowed back to the present and the three Players defeated the black knight Denizen. It was a difficult fight, but one that rewarded them with lots of experience. This did not go unnoticed, for a knight clad in grey had been watching the battle from the top of a cliff.
  64.  
  65. The group returned to the safehouse and explained everything about AETHER and the Blackened Void. Akikazu then joined the party, strengthening the Fool Social Link to Level 2. Episode 3 concluded.
  66.  
  67. Between the episodes, the Velvet Room twins bestowed Taksahi the power to carry an additional Persona. This involved the boy squeezing his heart, causing Takashi to writhe in pain. Elsewhere, someone accessed the Nocturne City BBS, an online forum for mercenaries.
  68.  
  69. Episode 4: Daylight began. Takashi and Akikazu (Akagi21) talked for a bit about Akumachi-Kirijo and the battle-hungry nature of its students using the AETHER chat function. On 12-Apr-2129, Takashi and Celeste met Akikazu in front of the school gates. He told them both to piss off, but the two were determined to be his friends so he grudgingly relented. Time then skipped ahead five days. Takashi and Shizuka had a conversation about he did over the past week. He spent his Wednesday and Friday hanging out with Takauji in martial arts club. Kanami Ishimura, Takauji’s childhood friend and self-proclaimed fiancée, was introduced. The Lovers Social Link strengthened to level 3. At lunchtimes, Takashi ate with his friends. He watched a video of Eriko Ozaki fighting, much to Akikazu’s distaste. He also joined the drama club, the captain of which was the enthusiastic Kaz Inaba. To enter, Takashi had to do a bit of impromptu acting. Cue edgy Harem Bro Quest bullshit about Tatsuya and Kazuya facing off. The QM nearly committed sudoku out of shame. Anyway, Takashi passed and the Justice Social Link was unlocked.
  70.  
  71. On 17-Apr-2129, the Sunday, Celeste called Takashi asking if he could show her around the city. Since he had nothing else to do, he accepted. Elsewhere, an online conversation took place between two mercenaries Tacks1001 and SeePlusPlus. The job was about stealing a prototype from the megacorporation Hanamura. It ended on the two of them promising to buy each other a drink once the job was over.
  72.  
  73. Back with Takashi, he told his sister he was meeting up with Celeste. She teased him, then gave him 5000 Macca for the day. The ten districts of Akumachi City were revealed: Devil’s Hub, Silver Town, Shakedown March, Synth Central, Moon’s East, Gaea Stadium, Kurusu Shrines, Spark Hill, Grey Ward and the Fallen Downtown. They went to Synth Central, the miniature Akihabara and came across a pink-haired maid. They ate lunch at a steakhouse. Celeste asked Takashi about his ambitions for the future. He replies that AETHER made his life change so sudden and just surviving it would be enough. Celeste then talked about her ambition and the Elite Twelve—an unofficial name the twelve top students in Akumachi Kirijo. Her goal was to reach that summit. Takashi and Celeste bonded over this conversation. The Magician Social Link progressed to Level 3. Celeste then chose the Path of the Fire Mage perk, allowing her to learn offensive skills quicker. Takashi returned home, ate dinner and decided to talk with his sister. The two of them hadn’t been spending much time lately, so Shizuka was more than happy to chat with him. They talked about Takashi’s new friends, Persona dueling and a bit about their mutual pasts. The Strength Social Link was then unlocked.
  74.  
  75. On 18-Apr-2129, Takashi ate lunch with Takauji and Kanami on the school roof. After witnessing shenanigans involving Kanami being overly affectionate with Takauji, Takashi asked them about the Persona dueling roles in the academy. He read the official online rulebook, which revealed a number of rules including that Spotters (Persona-users specializing in enemy detection and analysis) are forbidden from using their skills while spectating. Takashi then entered the Velvet Room and acquired Valkyrie of the Strength Arcana, Jack Frost of the Magician Arcana and Archangel of the Justice Arcana. In the afternoon, Takashi, Celeste and Akikazu upgraded their safehouse, choosing the Deep Web Access and Microwave upgrades. Takashi accessed the Nocturne City BBS as a guest and saw that SeePlusPlus complaining how his run had gone south. Since it meant nothing to him, he shut down the computer. He unlocked another merchant door and gained access to a medicine shop. He tried to touch the cat lady’s fluffy ears. He failed. The team explored the Hazebound Woodlands and obtained the High-Cut Armor. Takashi thought about asking Celeste to put it on, but thought better of it. Good thing too, because he wouldn’t have survived. The next day, he met the library girl, who finally told him her name. Fumika Shibuya. The Hermit Social Link was then unlocked.
  76.  
  77. On 20-Apr-2129, Takashi attended another house meeting, this time to decide who would be participating in the Inter-House Spring Sports Competition. He learned that FALCO was apparently the worst House in the academy and his mother had served as its vice-captain in the year 2106. He chose swimming as his sport. He later received a notification from AETHER telling him that something or someone had appeared in Pyre Ruin Valley. Akikazu persuaded him to back there, so the team went. They then encountered the gray knight from earlier on. The team was suspicious at first, but after seeing the knight meant no harm they opted to listen and ultimately help him. The knight introduced himself as Knight Laurence. His goal was to retrieve his shield, which had been stolen by some bandit knights. The team embarked on the mission, which was a success. Celeste learned Agilao along the way. As a reward, Laurence gave Akikazu an Old Pendant, which would allow Akikazu to summon Laurence as a white phantom in the Blackened Void. Turns out Laurence is actually Akikazu’s Companion. The significance of this is yet to be seen.
  78. Elsewhere, mercenaries SeePlusPlus and Dixon sent messages back and forth over a prospect recruit toS eePlusPlus’s team—the decker Nightingale. After realizing that Nightingale had hacked into SeePlusPlus’s Nocturne City profile and edited it into something foul, SeePlusPlus grudgingly accepted Nightingale’s abilities.
  79.  
  80. On 21-Apr-2129, Veleis-sensei informed the class that exams would occur on the 6th of May and run for four days. This was met with loads of whining from class 5-3 and Veleis-sensei told them to shut up. Takashi’s second elective was revealed to be Politics/Economics. In the afternoon, Takashi attended drama club. After performing yet another cringy scene from Harem Bro Quest, Kaz rewarded Takashi with an ebook that would raise his UNDERSTANDING or CHARISMA when read. The Justice Social Link advanced to Level 2. At night, he studied English (his worst subject) with Celeste and they talked about the nature of Japan and Takashi’s opinion of it. Their relationship grew a bit stronger.
  81.  
  82. The next day, Takashi ran across Fumika at the academy gates. He tried to start a conversation with her, but she brushed him off, looking frustrated. He shrugged and hung out with Akikazu once classes had ended for the day. He tried to get Takashi to piss off, but Takashi was resolute in strengthening their bond. Akikazu ultimately gave up. The Hanged Man Social Link advanced to Level 2.
  83.  
  84. A rather uneventful 22-Apr-2129 occurred, save for Takashi meeting Kozue Yusa sleeping in one of Moon’s East’s parks. He took her out to eat and it was revealed that Kozue Yusa has a metabolism greater than any adolescent male. An adorable scene took place and Kozue Yusa told him she appears on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons and Wednesday and Saturday nights. The Death Social Link advanced to Level 2. The next day, Takashi decided to go to the swimming pool in preparation for the Inter-House Spring Sports competition. He met Yoshino there who decided to teach him freestyle and breaststroke. Takashi got to knew Yoshino a bit more, such as the fact that swimming is her favourite sport and that she’s actually the vice-captain of the academy swimming club. He also fucked up trying to swim the first time, but managed to pull off a decent job anyway.
  85.  
  86. At night, he studied with Shizuka. We also learned a few facts about his family. Learning English makes it easier to enter the Anti-Shadow Operatives. Rumi Wakui married when she was eighteen, gave birth to Shizuka at nineteen and lastly had Takashi when she was twenty-five. That meant she was currently forty-one years old. Elsewhere, SeePlusPlus barked orders at Nightingale over the Internet. Nightingale accepted with calmness and grace, but not before making a quip about programming languages before
  87. leaving. Then the QM stopped posting for five weeks and left the players to sob.
  88.  
  89. Once the hiatus was over, Takashi went swimming again. He studied at night, resulting in being only 1 point of INTELLIGENCE behind from reaching Decent INTELLIGENCE. Then it was finally time for the competition. A number of things were revealed. One, Eriko Ozaki dislikes speeches and is a lot more quirky than her reputation would suggest. Two, Kanami Ishimura is in ENGEL house and does the butterfly kick. Three, Takauji is BOXER house. Four, Student Council Vice-President Rinako Ichimonji is an absolute beast on the sports field and an acquaintance of Kaz Inaba. Five, Yoshino is a nervous wreck when it comes to large organized events. Takashi then went to the event he signed up for, the 50m freestyle, only to find that Celeste was competing as well. The two of them made an agreement to compete and loser was to buy ice-cream afterwards. Due to some good rolls, Takashi won. Celeste looked strange for a moment, but accepted her loss with good grace.
  90.  
  91. It was only until the next thread at the little impromptu ‘date’ would take place. Celeste took Takashi to a nice little dessert café in Shakedown March. The players decided it was waifu time and picked the ice-cream to be shared. Then they tried to feed her, in the same way Rumi had done to Takashi when the latter was a child. /tg/ took over Takashi’s body like a malevolent puppeteer and guided his spoon towards Celeste’s mouth. She ate the ice-cream, but was too tense to realize the implications behind it. Takashi was too, come to think about it. In the end, that was not a serious thread. At least Takashi reached Decent INTELLIGNCE that day. The Velvet Twins also gave him Koppa Tengu of the Hermit Arcana.
  92.  
  93. The quest then cut to two years ahead (year 2131), where a future version of Fumika was typing a record of the Void’s Chosen adventures on a computer. She told the audience that all logs typed by AETHER Players will be sent between the dimensions and reach Players in other sessions. They may or may not assist them in claiming the Ultimate Reward. Future Fumika (Azure Scholar) then discussed her entry into the game. She revealed that she was a decker mercenary, living a sort of double life. On 26-Apr-2129, she headed to the Fallen Downtown, the slums of Akumachi City, t meet up with her mercenary team for the night’s job. It involved breaking into a Nanjo Spark Hill lab with drone controller SeePlusPlus, combat medic Everest and attack mage Poppet. Throughout the job, Fumika was disturbed by the irremovable AETHER program on her laptop. The entry into the lab was smooth, but AETHER sent a notification to Fumika halfway through, causing her to lose focus and allow the lab administrator to regain control over the hacked network. The mercenary team got into a gunfight with the lab guards. Neurotoxin then seeped from the vents, killing all of them. Except for Fumika, whose AETHER entry occurred at that very moment. Unlike Takashi, Celeste and Akikazu, Fumika was not frightened and instead told the void to hurry up. Future Fumika then ended the log by hoping that the Takashis in the alternate universes would not get the team killed.
  94.  
  95. Episode 5: Eternal began.
  96.  
  97. On 28-Apr-2129, Takashi and the team obviously went to the Blackened Void to rescue Fumika. Akikazu gave a bit of backstory on Fumika, explaining how she was misanthropic and used to be bullied all the time (which stopped a while ago). The team restocked in the hub area, then took the Hollow Express to Fumika’s sector, Area 019. Takashi then received the first text dump from the AETHER server, one about Companions. It revealed important information such as Companions can only be summoned from their Companion Objects and they have a summon time limit. Then the QM got sick and the thread was abandoned for that day.
  98.  
  99. When the QM recovered, he told of how the team arrived at Area 019: a futuristic base set at the bottom of a crater, blanketed by a veil of factory smog. They arrived at a crossroads and took the left path. Takashi thought they had found Fumika, but it turned out to be nothing more than a mechanical doll trap set by the sector Denizens. The team then wound up fighting an Arcane Turret miniboss, which they prevailed against. C. EXP (Competence Experience) was introduced as a way of making Takashi LEVEL UP and become stronger. A little too late, in the QM’s opinion but whatever. The team retreated for that day. Takashi retrieved Fumika’s damaged laptop from the Arcane Turret and read the information within.
  100.  
  101. They returned tomorrow and Celeste was promptly hit with a Wastrel Beam, draining 50% of her money. She became enraged and destroyed all the Shadows with a single flame. The group then took a right at the crossroads and encountered a viciously powerful lizard monster (???) fighting some robots. They tried to retreat, but the lizard monster detected them and attacked. The party was wiped out. An overly long melodramatic death scene ensued. The players got pissed. The QM realized this was a terribly planned encounter and rewound time back to the crossroads. The team moved forward instead and found the lab where Fumika was being held at. After breaking her out of it, a boss battle ensued with a guard robot. Fumika summoned her Persona, Moros the harbinger of doom, for the first time in the quest. She also revealed herself to be a Spotter and acted as support during the battle.
  102.  
  103. The team won and hightailed back to the safehouse. Then the quest shifted to the future Void’s Chosen, with Future Takashi, Future Celeste, Future Akikazu and Future Fumiya. More amusing character interactions were had as well as explaining how the present team filled present Fumika in with all the crazy nonsense that had happened up to now. The Fool Social Link advanced to Level 3.
  104.  
  105. Finally, a Player named HeartOnBlade messaged Future Fumika reminding her to post the Build EXP and Macca gained on the mission. HeartOnBlade then reminded that the spot next to Future Takashi was hers. Future Fumika replied with a challenge and the two logged off.
  106.  
  107. Golden Week then began. A lot of it was spent studying for upcoming midterm exams.
  108.  
  109. On Constitution Day, Takashi organized a study plan for the exams. Takauji invited him to study with him and there Takashi became acquainted with Kanade Shiba, the spunky, tsundere class 5-3 president. They did good work and Takashi improved their relationship with the both of them. At night, Takashi took a walk around town and ended up at the Lovely Eight café in Synth Central. He encountered the pink-haired maid from before, whose name was Lucianne Decaux. She was the manager of the café and Takashi asked her about her being acquainted with Celeste. Lucianne replied Celeste was a new recruit at the café and invited Takashi to enter.
  110.  
  111. Takashi and Celeste then spent the next ten minutes needling each other, as Takashi gave his best shit-eating grin and Celeste filled the air with the promise of fiery violent death. Neither of them knew a player’s write-in prompt was to blame. They parted amicably, however.
  112.  
  113. On Greenery Day, Takashi spent the day studying and reading the book Kaz Inaba gave him. At night, he asked Shizuka to train him. She took him to a local gym and planned out an exercise routine. They also practiced Persona Augmentation. Shizuka later told Takashi she had signed him up for a gym subscription. The Strength Social Link increased to Level 2. A flashback scene about Takashi’s past took place, revealing that Takashi’s father, Akira Wakui, was dead.
  114.  
  115. On Children’s Day, there was nothing but studying. The time everyone had been waiting for arrived. It was midterm exams, the day the students of the academy clash against their each other in their pursuit for the top. Takashi and Celeste challenged each other in front of the school gate. Takashi followed this up by eating some of the academy’s infamous curry, causing him to spaz out and lose his focus for his Japanese exams. The exams were done by a series of multiple d100 rolls by the players, for the subjects Japanese, Mathematica, History, English, Mythology, Politics/Economics and Computer Programming/Information Technology. Results were as follows:
  116.  
  117. JAPANESE: 68.3%
  118. MATHEMATICS: 111%
  119. HISTORY: 112%
  120. ENGLISH: 69.5%
  121. MYTHOLOGY: 113%
  122. POLITICS/ECONOMICS: 104%
  123. COMPUTER PROGRAMMING/INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: 95.8%
  124. OVERALL: 95.7% (HIGH DISTINCTION)
  125.  
  126. It was a resounding success.
  127.  
  128. On the afternoon of the final day of exams, Takashi chatted with Kanade and Takauji about their results, doing a hi-five with the former. Then Celeste arrived and challenged Takashi to his first official Akumachi-Kirijo duel. It would take place tomorrow afternoon.
  129.  
  130. The next day, the academy was abuzz with the promise of results later that recess. They bolted form their classrooms the moment the bell rang. Takashi saw that he had placed 15 out of 150 students in his year level. Celeste was below him 16 out of 150 students with a score of 95.6%. Truly, the dice gods had been off their rocker. At least she got a perfect score in English. Akumachi-Kirijo also had another ranking for students who got over 100% in any exams. Takashi’s mathematics, history, mythology and politics/economics scores were over 100%, so he got a 4 in that area. Celeste got a 3. She accepted her loss with good grace, fortunately. The rankings of other students were also revealed. Once Takashi left, rumors began to circulate about the dark horse who had come out of nowhere and snatched one of the highest places in the year level.
  131.  
  132. Takashi visited the Velvet Room and selected Obariyon of the Fool Arcana. He however did not choose any additional Personas for the upcoming battle, only using Ippon-Datara out of respect for Celeste. The duel took place in the academy Battlegrounds, with Veleis-sensei supervising. At first, the flow seemed to be going in Celeste’s direction as Takashi screwed up his first Pulinpa spell and Celeste casting Rakukaja twice and hurling an Agilao. Takashi managed to pull it around with some boxing, but Celeste led him into a Hama trap that nearly knocked him out. He managed to get in one last hit and both participants fell to ground unconscious. It came down to one final roll. Last man standing would win. Whoever rolled the highest would prevailed. Celeste rolled double 1s. The players rolled a nat 20. Takashi won the duel, much to his surprise. The small crowd exploded with cheers. His WILLPOWER and reputation around the school increased.
  133.  
  134. Celeste later had to cope with her loss. She was briefly in shock, but bounced back quickly and told Takashi her will was nowhere near broken and she would one day best him. The two of them, along with Takauji, Kanade and Kanami, went out for crepes. Takashi realized Celeste was truly his best friend and the Magician Social Link increased to Level 4.
  135.  
  136. Later that night, Rumi called Takashi asking about her grades. She told him how she believed she was dreaming when she first saw Takashi’s grades. She said how proud she was of Takashi and gave him an incredible sum of money for a high school student. Episode 5 concluded.
  137.  
  138. Takashi entered the Velvet Room again and found that he could speak. The Velvet Twins replied that it because he was ‘no longer hollow inside’. They then played a game with him, involving them asking him a series of personality questions. These were the results:
  139.  
  140. Q. What is the greatest threat to humanity at present?
  141. A. Humanity itself.
  142.  
  143. Q. In your world, those with Personas and those without are segregated. Do you believe natural talent is the means to all ends?
  144. A. Both talent and hard work are important.
  145.  
  146. Q. All Wild Cards are said to be chosen by fate. Do you believe yourself to be fortunate?
  147. A. Such concepts don’t matter.
  148.  
  149. Q. If you had the chance to grant all Persona-users the power of the Wild Card, would you take it?
  150. A. No, it would cause unnecessary chaos and destruction.
  151.  
  152. Q. You are in the midst of a difficult trial. Do you believe you will succeed?
  153. A. Yes, I believe I will succeed.
  154.  
  155. Q. At present, who is the person closest to you?
  156. A. All of my bonds are equally important.
  157.  
  158. Afterwards, they talked about his relation to his predecessors—Kaede Kurusu in particular—and the ‘Old Guard’. They then shifted their many faces, settling on those of a boy with headphones and a girl with XXII hairclip.
  159.  
  160. A children’s story from the Order of the White Messiah religion was posted. It spoke of an Almighty Creator, a great period of darkness, a Mass Awakening, Kaede Kurusu’s descent into the human world and Japan’s transformation into the Last Word’s holy land. How much of it was actually true is up for debate.
  161.  
  162. That was the end of Part 1.
  163. -------------------------
  164. <END OF PART 1 STATS>
  165.  
  166. <Personas gained]
  167. -Ippon-Datara (main), Slime, Obariyon, Pixie, Jack Frost, Moh Shuuvu, Archangel, Koppa Tengu, Valkyrie, Inugami, Mokoi
  168.  
  169. Top 5 Personas (excluding main): Jack Frost, Obariyon, Koppa Tengu, Valkyrie, Inugami
  170.  
  171. [Social Stats]
  172. >INTELLIGENCE: 90 points (Rank 3: Decent)
  173. >UNDERSTANDING: 47 points (Rank 2: Average)
  174. >CHARISMA: 58 points (Rank 2: Ordinary)
  175. >WILLPOWER: 74 points (Rank 2: Standard)
  176.  
  177. [Social Links]
  178. Void's Chosen (Fool): 3/10
  179. Celeste Tachibana (Magician): 4/10
  180. Takauji Koyoura and Kanami Ishimura (Lovers): 3/10
  181. Kaz Inaba (Justice): 2/10
  182. Fumika Shibuya (Hermit): 1/10
  183. Shizuka Wakui (Strength): 2/10
  184. Akikazu Osaragi (Hanged Man): 2/10
  185. Kozue Yusa (Death): 2/10
  186.  
  187. [Competence Experience (C. EXP)]
  188. Next Level: 18.50/19.50
  189. Total C. EXP gained: 32.50
  190. LEVEL UPs gained: 2
  191. Deaths: 1
  192.  
  193. [Resources]
  194. Money: 109250 Macca
  195. Build EXP: 8
  196. Persona Stock Limit: 5
  197. Main Persona: Ippon-Datara
  198. Other Personas Owned: Pixie, Jack Frost, Slime, Moh Shuuvu, Archangel, Valkyrie, Inugami, Mokoi, Koppa Tengu
  199. Top 5 Other Personas: Valkyrie, Archangel, Koppa Tengu, Jack Frost, Moh Shuuvu
  200.  
  201. [Inventory]
  202. Brass Knuckledusters x1 (Equipped)
  203. Iron Knuckledusters x1
  204. Protective Shirt x1 (Equipped)
  205. Steel-Tipped Boots x1 (Equipped)
  206. Basic Medkit x2 (Heals full for E, most for D, half for C, weak for B, little for A and S)
  207. High-Cut Armor x1 (At base; nobody wants to wear it)
  208. Drone Repair Kit x1
  209. Frag Grenade x2
  210. Broken Plasma Pistol x1
  211.  
  212. [Keys]
  213. Iron x 1
  214.  
  215. [Special Items]
  216. 'How To Think Big' Book (Increases CHARISMA and/or UNDERSTANDING when read)
  217. Old Pendant (Summon item for Knight Laurence, held by Akikazu)
  218.  
  219.  
  220. --------------------------------
  221.  
  222. And then I started writing Part 2.
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