Just What is an Edge Fencer, Anyway? Let's Play Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2!

I want to change Dinah to Nina.

So anyway, all of that is what could have happened, if Aera had chosen to fill up her schedule with dates and such. But Aera's a busy woman, and the whole city is counting on her to solve their trivial problems! Let's start with Rampage Rabbit. Will his thirst for destruction ever be quenched?


On second thought, let's go find that salesman. Surely he has a valuable item that will make defeating Goura a snap!


...Ok maybe not. Remember how I said that money is never an issue in this game? That's even if don't ever buy this. Why would you gimp your ATK to turn "an amount of money you will never be able to spend" into "even more than that"?

Anyway, Aera's in a hurry, so let's do two sidequests at once!




At least we finally get some actually interesting items from these. Not that "interesting" means anything close to "useful." These might have been helpful had we gotten them before we had to run the elemental dungeons...


Score! Our very own official Wind Brigade cape! Aera's going to wear this everywhere! Let's show it off to all the villagers!

Well, okay, I guess, but only if you give us something good in return!


GIVE ME BACK MY CAPE YOU OLD HAG!


So then Aera visited the winner of our vote, Nina, and spent the rest of the day in a Heartleaf Berry-induced stupor. The next thing she knew it was night, and she'd stood up all the dates she had (and Tatiana too).


Yeah, she spent like three hours staring intently at her hand.


Aera, stop padding your essays with BS.


Acheivement Unlocked:
Overcame Heroic BSOD


It's easy, just stay away from anyone you like. Then if you start exploding people, it's all people you hate.


Very specifically, six of them! Seven if you count Angel!Dinah.

That gives me goosebumps every time.


"Get some rest?" That doesn't seem like any way to open a door.


Fun fact: the heroic music that had been playing through this scene abuptly stops, to be replaced with the silly music.


Oh come on, even Aera's not--


Hmmm. Come to think of it, she did manage to thwart Gedharm via the power of her stupidity.


So how many times does that make where the day ends with everyone making fun of Aera?


Anyway, I was pretty surprised by this turn of events! I figured if anyone was able to beat out Lynn it'd have to be Dinah! But instead Nina somehow came out of nowhere to take the win. It was the promise of girls hugging, wasn't it?

Sigh. Let's see what the Cutscene Brigade wants from us this morning.


Glad to see that someone around here has some pattern recognition skills.


No. I refuse. There's something that's been hanging over my head like a big ol' sword lately that we gotta take care of first.


On the left, the Ninja Scroll 1 weapons. On the right, Ninja Scroll 2. But Wikipedia tells me that there is no sequel to Ninja Scroll yet. I don't know who to believe!

These are some pretty good weapons! I decide to make a Naginata and Ninja Sword.


I upgrade the Naginata like so, granting it the AGL UP effect, which is a pretty strong effect that overcomes the weapon's weakness and matches well with the 3 Hit Combo attack to make this a very deadly weapon.


I also throw two Beast Crests on the Ninja Sword to give it Speed Up, because any good ninja can kill you eight times before you hit the ground.

Anyway, let's see what kind of nonsense we have to suffer through before we can make with the demon-slaying.


Hey! We have plans with her! Huggy plans!


What!? No! We have to get our hug on, we can't let this happen!


Well, even if someone planted explosives in her I think they'd just fall right through.

No you're no~t!


This is a problem for the big kids to take care of.


This is a plan I can get behind.


Dinah, that's racist. You're racist! Anyway, we have to hurry (and do the daily sidequests).


Oh joy.


Hey I know, I'll make the next ring at the shop! It only costs 8k and a Ninja Scroll!


GOD DAMMIT.


Romantic Bomb + souped-up Naginata = easy win

What's that? You want to see Romantic Bomb? Have some patience! Also watch the next boss video.


Well, that's one fewer to have to buy from the fishing hole.


This is the same cat that never meows, but the wife thought she heard it bark while she was mind controlled by Gedharm. I know these are stressful times, so I think these two have lost their marbles.


Pretty useless! Just because the game isn't that difficult doesn't mean it's safe to walk around with critical health all the time.

Hmm... critical health... about to die... that reminds me of something important...

Oh, right.


We need 100 ccs of hugs, stat!


Even though Ryouga just wasn't that into her.


Man where has he even been?


Useless twit! Never around when you need him!


Oh crap it's a ghost! Run away!


Well isn't that convenient?


It did put him right near us when we needed him most. Maybe he did find the luckiest route home. For us if not him.

Uh, you've been lost for three days now. Are you sure you can get back to town?


As opposed to knuckles, which are an impersonal weapon.


I think she remembers this:


Hey those claws don't grow on trees. Let's not waste perfectly good materials that we'll never use for anything else anyway!


Stop bragging!

With lots of shouting and SPIRIT?


This must be a reference that is flying right over my head. What are "Gong, thesaurus, and blowtorch?" Anyone know?


Man, I need to get some friends with teleporter functionality.


Let's practice our SPIRITed shouting on the way!


When a machine doesn't work the way you want it to, give it a good smack! Never fails! Except when it does.


Didn't you get the memo? Use the new cover sheet on the TPS reportsXeride's a good guy now.

No, no, no. That's not how you do it.

THAT'S how you do it.


We've got him tied up and hanging over the fishing pond. Those Boss Fish are ravenous.


Video: Vs. Passeau feat. Twice the Dinah
Finally! We get the chance to beat up Passeau! Like Gedharm, if you kill her summoned creature she'll just summon another. This video shows the quick and dirty path to victory, but you can also break her spear if you want. It's got very high DUR, however, and while I recorded my run where I break it, the video for that is like 8 minetes long and really embarrassing.


Here's what you get for breaking her spear. These won't be available from fishing; if we want more, they drop off monsters in the postgame.


MORE SPIRIT!


Ok that's enough spirit. Stop now.


And thus disappears Passeau.


Awesome!

We should probably her know. Before she dies.

Let's see if you can follow the logic here: Passeau forced Nina out of her body and took over. We just forced Passeau out. Who's in there now?

A: Nobody!


Hey I think he's a rocket scientist!


Jeez, and before now we've been walking everywhere like chumps.


Now that's something you don't hear every day.


And the green ball goes in the lifeless body.


Enjoy a last good look at the cute bubbles and rings; you won't be seeing them again ever!


Oops! Too late! She's dead, Jim.


Hooray corporeality! And you all know what this means!

SUPER HUG-HUG TIMES!!


But if she stops, what would happen to all my carefully tended running jokes?


She just wants a hug too.


Here's a fun fact: for a while I was admin of an IRC channel dedicated to hugging. Yes, you read that right. No, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Yes, it was awesome.


No hugs for everyone else?


Great, we put her back in her body and the very first thing she does after she hugs Aera is have a heart attack and die. Seems like a bit of a waste.


Or maybe Passeau didn't know how to sleep.

I'm not sure how ghosts get tired, but let's go with that logic anyway.


But we accomplished something significant! That means it's time to take a walk and go to bed!


Gedharm!!! *Shakes fist*


Aww, Lynn's so reliable. What would we do without her?


You can't see it very well, but Tatiana is standing perfectly still as Lynn pushes her out of the cave.


Hey man cut her some slack; she has a brain tumor.


Next time on JWIAEFA?: War has changed: War never changes.

They're more extreme versions of the bell, book, and candle that are a vital part of any Nethack ascension Catholic excommunication; they are sometimes mistakenly thought to be part of an exorcism ritual. See the song "Bell, Book, and Candle" by Boo Hewerdine or the classic Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman book Good Omens.

I see. Mystery solved! I knew about the bell, book, and candle since I read the Nethack LP, but didn't make the connection.

Why make one? Doesn't Aera eat cereal?

I almost missed that one.

So if you choose any other character does Nina just die?

Nope! The last day unfolds the same way regardless of who you choose. The only notable change so far is in some dialog I cut:

Yeah, we hid them in the garbage bin. What do you mean "pickup was yesterday"?


Hush, you.


Really, Aera? really?


You should know Dinah better than that by now.


Anyway.


Impeccible timing!


It's about time someone used that argument!


See also: I DON'T WANNA DIE!


Jeez, that's it? How about "friend" or "Open Sesame?"


Ok, ok, it's acti-


Gah! We get it!


Activate! Activate! Activate!


Activate! Activate! Activ--


I wish I had a hereditary supermemory! Aera can keep the Mono Shift, though.

Considering she's not smart enough for any complex plan, that's some good advice.


"...Only if you promise to make a boatload of curry."


Aww, that's so cute. She thinks we need divine intervention.


Spoiler: it's not just his imagination.


Aera: always demonstrating a lack of genre awareness.


Awesome! Nothing can stop us now! Everything will go exactly according to plan and we'll be here having huggy times with Nina in no time at all! Nothing can go wrong at all!


Dinah: ever the optimist. Wait, what?


where doing it man
where MAKING THIS HAPEN

Super-special alternate caption bonus extravaganza!
F*cking miracles, how do they work?


Here we go guys! Final Dungeon time! We're going to end this right now!


Aera has to protect her big brother! That's the natural order of things, right?


GASP! It's impossible! We did not see him die, we did not hold a funeral and everything!

...Maaaaaaybe.


Then stay dead this time! Geez!


Oh boy here we go again!


Video: Vs. Ryouga, Rematch of the Century(?)
LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!
LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!
No seriously what is this shit? These two are supposed to be experienced fighters? Then why are they running around like a couple of buffoons in a slapstick comedy?
This is really a lot like the first Ryouga fight, except he seems to like to run when you attack him. The result is as you see...


Hey maybe there's something Ryouga knows that we don't? Just an idea.


??? But I'm not holding you???


I'm impressed, myself. He's displaying a keen understanding of his enemy's weakness, and a dedication to villainy that none of these other clowns we'd had to deal with could come close to.


"Me me me me me!" You always have to make things about you, don't you, Gedharm? Well sometimes it's not about you! Sometimes it's about ancient sealed evil and making sure it doesn't kill us and everyone else!


Ok, that was pretty skillful. He's got an armful of hostage and still casually knocked Orin aside easily.

Oh, well that's just great... Good job Aera, he was just a regular ol villain until you had to come along and turn him into a creature who knows only hatred and lives only for revenge.


Oh hi guys did somebody say oni?


Nobody ever pays any attention to Toumei.


Whoa! Nobody ever talked to Dinah like that! Not even when she deserved it!

The thing is, she doesn't actually deserve it right now, so so we're pretty much gonna have to kill you now.


Aera is not scared of any crazed madman!


Suddenly lightning, everywhere! Where'd he learn to do that?


Oh, it wasn't him.

...It wasn't Toumei was it?


HAH! I knew she was secretly a badass!


Wait, what?

WAIT WHAT.


Waitwaitwaitwait... WHAT!?


Whatwhatwhat wait?


I knew it!


But... what happened to your lesbian love for one another? Was that a lie?


I'm just going to sit here and cry for a while.





I don't even know what's going on anymore.


Awesome! Things just keep getting worse!

Please, please spontaneously explode.


Nuts, he just disappeared.




Neither of those people you just grabbed are Edge Fencers? Good job on the capturing there!


So everything up until now has been a lie.


Well, I guess the door's open. That's a silver lining, right? ...Right?



Great, Ryouga must have been exhausted from all that running back and forth earlier.


I know! Neither can I!

LYNNNNNNN~!


Next time on JWIAEFA?: LYNNNNNNNNNNNN~!

And now you all can appreciate the irony in this screenshot.

I was gonna say how stupendously absurd that fight with Goura was.
Then Lynn exploded my head and now all I can say is "what?"

What?

See, Nina really was the secret best choice.

MIND. BLOWN.

But...wha...How could Lynn...

Called it.

I mean, she was Ryouga's SISTER. How could she NOT be a summon creature. COME ON PEOPLE WAKE UP!!!!!!!!1!

Huh. I remembered that Lynn was a summon monster, but I somehow forgot the important detail of her betraying you. Lynn, you've changed! What happened to being sexy above all else! D:

Ryouga fight, pathetic and annoying. You have far more patience than I.

Also, if Aera had received a close-up when she yelled, "Activate!" that would've been the best thing ever. Such a wasted opportunity.