Camp/Paradox

Camp is one of the returning features with new twists from the original trilogy, and has a new role in Monster Girl Quest Paradox.

Overview
In the original trilogy Luka and Alice made camps throughout their journey, and was the only place where you can learn new skills outside of battle. In Monster Girl Quest Paradox, several monsters that you recruit on your adventure will join you, but they're mostly here to give flavor to the moment.

As in the original trilogy, whether you recruited Ilias or Alice, you always learn a new skill each time there's a camping session, and the heroine will talk more about herself.

1st Camp
The first camp happens when the party is en route to Iliasburg. Luka's companion is still confused as to what happened to them as they now only have access to limited power in a sealed form, while Sonya recounts some of her childhood memories.

Luka: Whew, I'm stuffed.

Ilias: Just as good as I'd expect from someone who learned to cook from Lucifina. That really hit the spot.

Luka: Stop you're making me blush...

Hmm, it's still a bit early to go to bed.

Perhaps I should kill some time before retiring...

Dialogs around the camp
Rumi: Yawn

Rami: This is fun! Let's have a giant bonfire!

Melk: Camping isn't bad once in a while... It really wets my heart.

Bunni: hop hop hop

Lime: Yay, camping~ I've never been camping before. I caught a fish in that river too.

Ragora: Wake me up when it's time to leave. I'll try my best not to scream when you do.

Remi: *Tremble* I found this...

Ilias: First off, we need to bolster and equip our forces at Iliasburg. It'll be a suicide to head to the north the way we are now.

Luka: That's standard practice for adventurers, but you seem strangely knowledgeable about this stuff...

Ilias: That's because I've given countless evaluations to disappointing heroes over the years. You could say I wrote the standard practices myself...

Luka: ... Evaluations?

Ilias: Never mind those. Alas, why did this cruel fate befall me...

Luka: So you said you were sealed by some great seal or something? And that's why you're so small?

Ilias: To be precise, to escape from that seal, I had to reduce myself to this size. The Six Ancestor's Great Seal maintains itself by drawing power from the sealed person's own power. The stronger the power, the stronger the seal. As a result, the spell isn't effective against the weak. Knowing that I must have been able to escape by reducing my power. It took a considerable amount of time to split off most of it apparently, and in addition, I couldn't keep my normal size or all my memories either.

Luka: Who could have possibly sealed you though?

Ilias: Black Alice is the most likely culprit. Or it could be the work of Promestein, It's also possible the Dark Goddess herself is behind it all. If that's the case, that kitsune becomes very suspicious...

Luka: (There sure are a lot of contenders...) So what do we do about it? I know we're going north, but then what...

Ilias: There are many points around the world that are especially close to Heaven, one of which was nearby. However...

[Flashback of Ilias at the top of Iliasville Mountains]My angels... Those who serve me in Heaven... Can anyone hear me? ...  Angels, attend to me at once... Seraphim Eden, come without delay... You'll be the first if you do... Micaela, please come for me... I'll forgive you if you do, all right? Lucifina... Sigh, you're dead now... Why were you stubborn... Did you really hate me that badly? *sniffles*[End of the flashback]

Ilias: I'm not crying...

Luka: Y-yeah...

Ilias: I need to get somewhere closer to Heaven where my voice heard is more likely to reach them. The Holy Mountain Amos in North Sentora would be ideal. Once we get there, I'll make another attempt to summon them, but we'll have to travel through heavily monster-infested lands first.

Luka: All right, that makes sense.

My main goal is searching for my father, but I can't leave the Goddess Ilias out to dry. I have to travel north anyway so I can collect information about my father on the way.

Luka: That reminds me, was that girl calling herself Alice really the Monster Lord?

Ilias: Yes, much to my delight, she is the current Monster Lord. seeing her look so pathetic made me feel a lot better about my own situation

Luka: Was she sealed the same way as you?

Ilias: No, I think she's affected by something else. She was blabbering about a rabbit doing something to her or something. A white rabbit leading Alice... That seems like something important... It's no use, something is screwing with my memory. I'm going to be limited until I can deal with that.

Sonya:... Um, I'm going to go pick herbs.

Ilias: Using the bathroom? Take your time.

Sonya: ...!

Ilias: While she's gone, I want to warn you, Luka. You shouldn't trust that girl.

Luka: Who? Sonya?

Ilias: As the creator of the world, I know every living person in it. Even with my memory loss, I can remember every man and woman. So keeping that in mind... I don't know this Sonya person. In other words, she's someone who shouldn't exist. The girl Sonya does not belong in this world.

Luka: Umm, but... I've known her ever since I was a boy

Ilias: If I don't know her, she doesn't exist. We met one other person who fits that description too. Nero, the black-clothed man we ran into this afternoon. I have no recollection of him either.

Luka: Then you must be remembering wrong...

Ilias: I don't think she's trying to deceive us though. It's possible she isn't even aware of it. Just what's going on with the world... I'm this world's Goddess. There shouldn't be things I don't understand...

Luka:....

Sonya: I'm back! ...hmm, is something wrong?

Luka: Could she be... Uhh no, nothing at all.

Ilias: Don't let your guard down, Luka. I'll be keeping an eye on her. Anyway, I think it's about time to sleep.

Sonya: Your cooking was as great as usual. Running an inn by yourself really paid off there. You won't have any problem finding a wife with skills like these...

Luka: Don't give up hope for finding a husband yourself yet, Sonya.

Sonya: tch..! So anyway... Your big adventure is finally here. I never thought you'd be some chosen hero trying to save the world.

Luka: It doesn't really feel real to me either.

Sonya: Hey Luka, you remember that time we got lost in the mountains? We were still kids and went off the trail...

[Flashback to Sonya in Iliasville Mountains]

Sonya: Uuugh... I think I'm lost... And surrounded by monsters...

Slime Girl: Ooh Ooh, a human girl! What do we do... I have no idea what we're supposed to do/

Sonya: uugh.. Help me.. waaa!

Slime Girl: Come on, don't cry. What to do... This isn't good.. waaa waaa!

Luka: Sonya, are you okay!?

Sonya: Waaa!

Slime Girl: Waaaa... Waaa.....!

Luka: What happened here?[End Flashback]

Sonya; you came and found me before anyone else...

Luka: Oh yeah... What were you doing alone in the mountains anyway? I don't think I ever asked.

Sonya: I got lost following after you! you made it back to the village with no problem.

Luka: Sorry.

Sonya: There's no need to apologize. It was my fault I got lost in the first place. Tonight reminded me of that night. Just the two of us alone, alone under the stars. Luka and I...

Ilias: And me...

Lime: Don't forget me.

Sonya: That's when I decided I'd accompany you. Letting you go off on an adventure alone would be rash and dangerous.

Ending Camp
Luka: It's still too early for me to sleep. Shall I practice my swings for a while?

Ilias: Your swordsmanship is rather appalling... I suppose that's not your fault since you never had proper instruction.

Luka: I taught myself since no one would help me. Even Uncle Lazarus wouldn't show me how to use a sword...

Sonya: He did teach me how to use clubs though. His own technique was reckless so he didn't want to teach it to anyone else... That's what he told me anyway. That's what caused him to lose the use of his arm. I suppose he didn't want the guilt of causing the same thing to happen to you...

Ilias: Fine, it looks like I'll have to teach you. You should feel eminently lucky to learn from the Goddess herself.

Luka: Thank you so much... wait, you know how to use a sword?

Ilias: There's nothing a Goddess can't do. Here, hold your sword like this,

Luka: All right, thank you! teryaa! How was that?

Ilias: Well you're certainly no Micaela, but I suppose that's good enough for now.

Luka: So I have a new skill... I can feel already myself getting closer to my father.

Ilias: So you don't resent your father, I see. Quite the opposite, in fact. You actually hold him in high esteem...

Luka: Should I hate him because he left my mother and me? He did that to protect the world so it would be a safe place for us too. There definitely are people in the village that detest him for leaving us. but I'm proud of him.

Ilias: No, that's not what I meant. The Luka I know definitely hated his father. A Luka with a different past and this girl Sonya too... Why are there these discrepancies? I'm tired...

Luka: I can't begin to understand either... Oh well, good night everyone!

Sonya: Goodnight

Lime: See you tomorrow

Alice
Alice: As expected from the son of an innkeeper, your cooking is delicious. It appears I made the right decision to take you along.

Alice: Have you been to Iliasburg? Our first priority should be finding that rabbit. I have to catch her and get her to return me to normal.

Alice: Hehehe, the overpowering majesty of the Monster Lord will make you fall to your knees. Anyway, it's odd that none of my knights have been in contact. I'd expect Granberia at least to rally around me

Alice: Surely they weren't turned into children too... That rabbit did say that her magic was for leading Alice, after all. "Alice" is a nickname for Monster Lord, but what did she mean by leading? A white rabbit leading Alice... Come to think of it, I feel like I heard this story from Tamamo... It's no use, I forgot. I should have listened better to lectures. Damn kitsune...

Alice: As hilarious as it is, that was no doubt the real Ilias. She looked just like the version you saw in the temple, didn't she?

Alice: No, she's probably under the Six Ancestor's Great Seal. The spell has that kind of effect.

Alice: Not exactly, but the result is the same. I imagine Ilias has sealed 30 years ago.

Alice: After 30 years, she was finally able to break out in that form, but not without losing much of her strength and memories. The question is who sealed Ilias? There's no way the Dark Goddess has returned...

Alice: If the Dark Goddess were back, everyone would know about it. It's especially impossible that it escapes my notice as the current Monster Lord. None of this makes any sense. What the hell is going on

Alice: It definitely does... But being led around by the nose makes me angry too.

Alice: Speaking of, are you all right with this? Isn't your primary goal searching for your father?

Alice: In that case, let's stick together a while longer. We may learn news of your father along the way,

Alice: Your swordsmanship is painful to watch. Who taught you how to use one?

Alice: Fine, I'll practice with you. Even in this body, I can still teach you some sword skills.

Alice: Do you have a problem with that? Come, raise your sword!

Alice: Hmm, I think you've got the form down. I guess even you can master this technique.

Alice: You have a lot of respect for your father.

Alice: Mother

Alice: No it's nothing. We're leaving early in the morning so we better get to sleep.

Heinrich
Heinrich: Having such a lively party is a lot of fun. Alicetromeria was my only travel companion this whole time until now. If I were to return to the world I came from now, almost no time would elapse, right? Even though I'm having such an adventure here, Alicetromeria won't even finish a cup of coffee... It's a strange feeling.

2nd Camp
The second camp happens as the party is on its way to Iliasport. The party is still taking in the reveals from Enrika that three Monster Lords are vying for power while a war is waging between the major human nations.

Iliasport
Promestein: It brings a smile to my face to see everyone camped out together in high spirits. I'd absolutely love to make some dopamine and adrenaline level readings. Do you mind if I stick electrodes in a few of our companions' heads?

3rd Camp
The last camp of part 1 happens when the party is on the way to Sabasa. The party discusses the role Luka's father seems to have as well as the importance of the true history with the Four Spirits, the Tartarus, and this mysterious White Rabbit.

Sabasa
Promestein: A scorpion is beneath this rock... Let's capture it as a sample, fufufu.

4th Camp
The four-camp happens when the party is nearing Grand Noah. Luka and the heroine realize they're now getting into the thick of it, and wonder about what their past lieutenants are doing.

Grand Noah
Promestein: I wonder what became of the angels in this world. Were most of them caught up in the annihilation of Heaven and destroyed?

Luka: You have a smile on your face.

Promestein: According to Ilias, the Seven Archangels don't exist in this world. That makes me wonder if they exist in the original history. If not, then the world I'm from would also be a parallel world that deviated from the original history... Yes, that would seem to be the case.

Promestein: There's so much I don't understand in the notes that La Croix entrusted to us. She wrote down formulas for things like the process of chaos spreading, but I can't understand them. How can time be imaginary or mass be negative?

Ilias: It requires a grand unified theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and magic particles. That's beyond my capacity in this shrunken state.

Promestein: I'm taking samples of the trees here since their growth seemed rather abnormal. Though these samples were gathered at various locations, a common growth abnormality is identifiable. It's spreading from the Tartarus Rifts to the surrounding areas.

5th Camp
This camp happens when the party is on their infiltration mission, closing in on Grangold. Luka and the heroine come to the realization that the Lilith Sisters are behind the aura that seems to permeate the Gold Region, while Sonya starts to feel insecure as the sole weaker human in a team of monsters.

Mephisto
Mephisto: We'll be at Grangold Palace soon. More help should be arriving soon, as well.

Luka: Mephisto, can we really trust you?

Mephisto: You still doubt me? Don't worry, I would never disobey orders from the Monster Lord.

Luka: Her orders to help Grand Noah?

Mephisto; Yes, exactly

Luka: What about the fact she's also controlling Grangold?

Mephisto: She isn't controlling them directly... But you are correct in terms of her overall plan.

Ilias: Was the plan for both countries to destroy one another? That does not seem to be an efficient use of her time and resources. It more likely relates to the correct history. The two countries were not at war at this time in that history though. But if events had played out slightly differently, a war could have broken out. So you could say that we haven't deviated from the correct history.

Mephisto; Even in reduced form, it's still quite difficult to keep secrets from Ilias.

Ilias: She started this war while trying to avoid a critical divergence from the correct history, right? Why on earth was such a thing necessary? Answer me!

Mephisto: Even I do not know her reasons The Monster Lord keeps such knowledge to herself,

Luka: yeah, even Alma Elma didn't know...

Mephisto: I can make an educated guess as to her intentions. however. First, a premise... We know that as this world diverges from the correct history, chaos advances. Thus she is steering history to be as close as possible to the correct history... And aiming towards the annihilation of all living things.

Ilias: You've got to be kidding me!?

Mephisto: The Monster Lord's actions have thrown humans and monsters into a giant meat grinder. In other words, mutual destruction of both man and monster. She isn't focused on governing or ruling anymore. Her intention is nothing other than the destruction of life.

Ilias: Why!? Are you saying the Monster Lord is trying to carry out my plan to recreate the world?

Mephisto: I'm nothing more than a clever Yoma. There's no way I could understand the Monster Lord's motives. Surely, not even the Goddess herself is capable of such a thing. As I said, this is nothing more than my own conjecture... I have no proof or direct evidence.

Ilias: I truly wish to believe this is just your delusions of Grandeur speaking...

Sonya: Are you okay with all of this, Mephisto? You're obviously one of the people being thrown into the meat grinder. too...

Mephisto: Yes, I can't deny that. I've never pretended to be more than a pawn of the Monster Lord. I believe there are logical reasons for this plan, though. Even if it results in the death of all life, that too must be something that has to happen...

Ilias: That's an Eden level of blind devotion.

Luka: At any rate, we have to put a stop to the Monster Lord's plot! We'll free Grangold, whatever it takes.

Mephisto: Indeed... Our interest as far as is concerned is defeating Grangold. I'm counting on your help.

Sonya; Is this really okay...?

Luka: I wonder what's going on with the King of Grangold. There are rumors of him surviving fatal wounds and casting high-level magic..

Mephisto: I imagine he's been magically enhanced with some special spells to boost his magical power and physical attributes.

Ilias: He's originally human, so strengthening past his limits should. Wait, they've awoken his royal blood, haven't they?

Mephisto: Correct. The bloodlines of the royal families are special. Genes from the ancestral people are slumbering within them

Sonya: Ancestral people?

Mephisto: They were the people who lived in the age of legend and possessed strength surpassing the humans of today. You could call them the original experiment of the Goddess of Creation. They had strength rivaling monsters, but also various faults and weaknesses. As those faults worked out, their raw abilities were also reduced, resulting in a design suitable for mass production: the people of today.

Ilias: You sure know a lot about my work

Mephisto: I learned all this from the Monster Lord. Where she heard it, I do not know. Anyway getting back on track. Modern humans evolved from the ancestral people, but. Among modern humans, the earliest models that were born still contained genetic data from the ancestral people. They were like a limited production run of elites created to be humanity's leaders.

Luka: Then they were the origin of the royal bloodlines?

Mephisto: Yes. As Ilias hoped, they rose to the top of human society, and they passed down their latent genetic materials through the generations. Thus those of royal birth possess genes of the ancestral people within their bodies.

Sonya: Those of royal birth? So the families of Grand Noah, Grangold, and Sabasa.

Mephisto: Correct... And among them, magical power runs strongest in the Grangold bloodline. Gold the First was known as the Magic King and supposedly had power rivaling us yoma. In terms of latent potential, the current King of Grangold has magical power comparable to his ancestor.

Ilias: Which was unlocked through some magical procedures to change his mind and body and awaken his royal blood?

Mephisto: Yes, exactly... However, the costs should be remarkably steep.

Ilias: As you said, the ancestral people had their share of faults and were very unstable.

Mephisto: Yes, they used energy inefficiently and had poor reproductive abilities. Their control over magic and their mental state was also extremely unstable. Their individual potential was amazing, but they were defective forms of life. It's no surprise that the Goddess of Creation considered the ancestral people a failed experiment.

Luka: What does that mean for the King of Grangold?

Mephisto: He's an evil living weapon without control over his emotion or sanity, a nightmare created by the Queen.

Sonya: So he's a victim in all this, too!

Mephisto: Indeed, but if we attack the Queen, you'll have to be prepared to fight him as well.

Ilias: But would Queen Ant really do that to him? I'm not fully on board with this conclusion...

Luka:...............

6th Camp
The last camp of part 2 happens when the party is almost at Ilias Temple Ruins. The party wonders what they will find inside this temple and where the White Rabbit currently is. Simultaneously, Sonya is more and more worried about her place.

Mephisto Mephisto: There's nothing unusual going on in the countries right now. Apart from the sporadic raids, the enemy hasn't made any coordinated attacks. When you think about it, my position is rather strange, isn't it...? Rest assured, I will submit a proper resignation before I betray you.

Trivia
On NG+, monsters recruited will only appear in camps that appear after their official recruitment place.

These monsters are the ones who will join you at camps when you recruit them:


 * Ilias or Alice
 * Sonya
 * Lime
 * Melk (1st camp only)
 * Bunni
 * Rami
 * Remi
 * Rumi
 * Teeny
 * Gob
 * Vanilla
 * Papi
 * Mini
 * Nuruko
 * Promestein
 * Kitsu & Kamuro (both required)
 * Meia
 * Hild
 * Chrome & Frederica (both required)
 * King of San Ilia
 * Sylph
 * Eva
 * Sara
 * Gnome
 * Bonnie
 * Ashel
 * Tatsuko
 * Undine
 * Mephisto
 * Salamander


 * Heinrich
 * Alicetromeria
 * Eden
 * Lucifina-Chan
 * Micaela-Chan
 * Ragora