Part 4: Stratum 1: Forgotten

There are many rumors that infighting and corruption was rampant in the Valdian Church at the height of the Kingdom.
- excerpt, Legend Cycles of the Ancients

Lost Past

That strange Koona Uzakori has a lot of really impressive merchandise. We found some new weapons and armor that should really help against the Majin. I… also investigated that Traviata House. I can’t say I’m as enthusiastic as the Count was about this, but we may not be able to survive without extracting skills from our captured foes.



We’re going to push on. Besek seems to rearrange itself as we move through it, though. I have no idea if we’re making any progress.
- journal entry

The maps all have a little blurb that’s sometimes interesting, we couldn’t see it for the first map so I’ll show Innocence’s as well as Forgotten’s.





Everything about Besek seems somehow, I don’t know, familiar. Like I’ve been to these places before.

Video- “Forgotten Lead In”

Click For Video

> Training Grounds
Haaaaaaaaaahhh!
Gah…!
Whoa, Ashley! You almost killed me with that one!
Hey, Glynne… Let’s fight to the death!
Wh-What did you say!?
Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHAHA!
What’s come over you!?
It’s time to die… Falsin…
Ashleeeeeeey!

Something was bothering Glynne, maybe he recognizes this place too.



(It’s odd. Ever since we came to Besek, memories keep flooding back to me.)
What’s up, Glynne? You okay?
Ashley…
Is it me, or is this place kinda strange?
That’s quite an understatement.
Something isn’t right. I didn’t think Besek would look like our world…
(This place…)
(It’s just like the battlefield at Tuonela, where she went crazy.)
It looks so familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen it all before…
Don’t worry about it. You probably just need some rest.
You two had better get ready! There’s some Majin coming right for us!
Let’s do it!

I… I don’t remember much about the battle honestly. It’s all sort of a blur.

Video- “Forgotten”

Click For Video With Commentary



Ally Team:
Accompanying Ashley, Glynne, and Reyna on this map are our two new mercenaries, Stein and Vivian. I talked about them last update. I picked up some better weapons for Ashley and Reyna, and a great Accessory called the Reinforced for Ashley. This gives her a bunch of speed, some physical resistance, and some evade. I also give her the Critical I skill I extracted from a Caprus, so Ashley’s got 10% evade and critical now.

Enemy Team:

We’re up against eight Majin this time: Three Apis, two Laquo, two Magiquarius, and a level seven Caprus. Let’s take a quick look at them.



Laquo are pretty rough Majin. They’ve got pretty tough physical defenses and can hit really hard. We also need to be careful, because they can counter our melee physicals. They resist Water a bit and are less likely than normal to be afflicted by physical status effects. As long as we keep them away from squishy people they’re not that bad, though, because we’ve got lots of Fire and Ashley is plenty brutal enough to do some serious damage to them.



Magiquarius is our first real ‘caster’ Majin. It’s totally immune to Water but takes double damage from Fire in turn. It’s got Water and Air magic, but isn’t terribly good with either. Capturing them is a very high priority, though, because we can get spells out of them which could potentially be vital for breaking a Demon Aura later.



Caprus’ big brother adds resistance to physical status and a chance to counter to his skill set. He’s a bit less vulnerable to physicals, a bit more resistant to darkness, and has higher stats all around. This one also has the Skewer attack, which is like a Spear, in place of the standard Shredder.

Deployment:



Once again we’re going to focus our efforts on as few Majin as possible at a time. There’ s a chest in the middle of the room that we want to make sure we get to, so we’ll push through the Majin towards it. I use Ashley, Vivian, and Glynne as a front here, backed up by Reyna and Stein. Vivian is a bit weak for this role but I have few options at the moment.

Tactical Objectives:
-Capture as many Majin as possible, especially Magiquarius.
-Make sure we get the Chest.

Map:



There’s something odd here…
Isn’t Besek supposed to be the Majin’s home?
Why does this place look like we’re still in Alea?
Yeah, those buildings look like they’re from Valdia.
(I… I’ve been here before.)
???: (It’s where you learned to give in to your true self!)
…!
Wh-What was that!?
Ashley! Stop daydreaming!
Holy Atona, please guard and protect us!
Majin! You better watch out!

We start out by pushing towards the near Laquo. It’s a lot more aggressive than the Majin in the last map, it will move towards us as soon as we enter a certain range even if it can’t reach us immediately.



Who… Who’s talking to me!?
???: (To fight the Majin, you must become like them…)
Ashley…?
…?
Izel! Izel!
Stop it! I can’t take it anymore!
Ashley, calm down!
H-Huh? Why did I…?

At this point we get first blood on the Majin with Ashley, taking off about half the Laquo’s health with a mace strike. We want to drag his health down enough that we can Overkill him, so we’re going to move up Glynne and Vivian to get some more physicals in.



I wonder if they react to those with holy powers?
I don’t think that’s it…

Between Glynne, Vivian, and Reyna we take the Laquo all the way down to one HP. Meanwhile, the Apis in the middle engages as well. This isn’t so much of a worry, as even our weaker characters aren’t going to be hurt badly by a level three Majin. Laquo’s a bit scarier, though, because he goes and takes almost half of Vivian’s health off in a single blow. Stein moves up to cast on the Apis and Ashley Overkills the Laquo, causing her to level up.



Ashley just gets stronger and stronger each level, and gains a new Skill this time. Light Atk is a special physical attack that allows us to take advantage of an enemy’s vulnerability to Light attacks while also making use of our superior physical power. Glynne spears the Apis, causing him to level up as well.



Glynne’s big gain this level is Terra II, which can cause Fracture. Fracture makes any unit that relies on physical attacks totally useless as long as it’s active, because it negates the ATK and DEF gains from STR and VIT. It also cripples their movement. We capture the Laquo and move Ashley up, which causes the Magiquarius to engage. He casts pretty ineffectually on Ashley, who is relatively resistant to both of his elements of attack. Meanwhile the Apis hits Vivian, who is looking somewhat poorly. Reyna overkills it with a Pyro I, and Stein moves up to capture it.



With her health that low there’s a real risk the Magiquarius will move up and take Vivian out, so we’ll heal her with Ashley and then move up into its face. We hit it with a Terra II from Glynne, which it answers with an Aqua I. After an arrow from Reyna it’s in a good health range for Ashley to overkill it with a mace strike, after which we capture it.



Reyna, please be careful.
It’s no problem. I’m fine!

I start moving Vivian towards the chest, because she’s frankly the least useful character I’ve got. This draws the second Apis towards my party, and in range of a Pyro II from Reyna that nearly kills it instantly.



Be quiet!
Wh-Who are you!? What do you want from me!?

We then move up and attack the Apis from behind with Ashley, which would have done enough damage to one-hit Overkill it. Vivian reaches the chest, which contains a Jerkin. This is a better piece of leather armor than Ashley’s using right now, and we’ll equip it after the battle. The high level Caprus has meanwhile taken an interest and is approaching our lines. We bypass capturing the Apis for the moment as we move characters who could use the EXP more up, and instead send Ashley into the Caprus’ face. Rather than risk a counter from it, we hit it with a Sacra I from Ashley and then a Terra I from Glynne. The Caprus fires back with its spear-like attack, but Ashley’s evasion passives allow her to totally avoid damage. We capture the Apis, and then return the favor by Overkilling the Caprus with a second Sacra I. This causes Ashley to gain another level.



This level doesn’t get us any new skills, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Meanwhile, we’ve pushed ahead far enough to drag the second Magiquarius into the action. We push our party up to capture the Caprus and then smack the Magiquarius with a mace strike for most of its health (this is the factor that’s going to link pretty much all of our maps as Ashley together, hitting things really fucking hard in the head with a mace).



They ARE reacting to the book!
Maybe it’s the perfect tool for destroying Majin.

We trade some blows with the Magiquarius and then finish it off with a Pyro II from Reyna, causing her to level up. All this time I’ve been slowly moving Vivian up around the other side of the map, hoping to flank around the Majin once I engage the last Laquo and Apis from the front.



She’s not gained any new skills either this level sadly, though she’s getting pretty decent in stats. After we capture the Magiquarius, Ashley moves towards the Laquo, which causes it to approach us. We start casting on it and then get up in its face to prevent it reaching our weaker characters. Meanwhile, Vivian is engaged by the last Apis. Ashley Overkills the Laquo, which will allow me to move her up to assist Vivian against the last Apis. Vivian hits the Apis with a Meta I for most of its health, and it is taken out by a brutal combo from Vivian and Ashley that causes Vivian to level up.



Vivian gains the sleep spell Somnus out of this level, which can be helpful if we manage to stick a Majin with it. Ashley is almost level 10, so I hold off and capture the Apis with her.



Ashley gains the awesome Cura II this time, which heals a five square area for a large amount. This gives Ashley substantially more healing power than she already had. With the last Majin captured, the map is over.

Battle Result:

Levels:
Ashley 7->10
Glynne 5->6
Reyna 5->6
Vivian 4->5

Items:
Jerkin

Majin:
Caprus Lv. 7 x 1
Laquo Lv. 6 x 2
Magiquarius Lv. 5 x 2
Apis Lv. 3 x 3

We also saved our first Musician, which allows us to access a special musical track in Isapolis. I’ll show those off once we’ve rescued the whole band.

Still, the Majin were no match for us.

Video- “Forgotten Lead Out”

Click For Video

I thought it was just a Majin nest, but that doesn’t explain these buildings…
How did they get here…?
I wonder if the Eternal Poison had anything to do with it.
“Eternal Poison”? How do you know about that…?
Hm, I guess even as one of the favored Protectors of the Faith, you still don’t know everything.
…
How’s Ashley feeling?
She certainly wasn’t herself during that last battle.
She’s fine.
Are you sure about that?
Nobody knows her better than I do. We don’t keep any secrets between us.
…
You know, you’re in our way. I wish you’d leave us alone.
…

Besek seems to be affecting everyone differently. Glynne’s been getting paranoid, and I don’t know Reyna enough to know how she’d normally behave.



Alright…
Hey, what do you think about Reyna?
What do you mean…? She seems nice enough.
I have a feeling she’s spying on us.
Do you think she’s loyal to the Pope?
Well, I can’t say for certain…
But we knew nothing about her when we started this mission.
And why ELSE would the Pope assign her to our group so suddenly unless she’s on his side…?
She helps balance out our team’s fighting skill!
I guess… but it can’t hurt to keep an eye on her.
Yeah, I get it.
Hey, Ashley.
What is it?
I’d hoped I could be the one to take care of you…
You know, now that Master Leto’s missing.
I guess I’m not as dependable though.
Glynne…?

As for me? I’m… I’m fine.



(I bet your dear Glynne is the one deceiving you!)
!?
(He doesn’t matter anyway… He’s just a pawn!)
(Use him… Drain him of all he has…)
(And once you’re finished with him, you know what to do…)
Shut up!
N-No! I…!

I’m completely fine. I’m just tired. That’s all. We returned to Isapolis.



You must be careful in Besek. One false step could mean your end…
But I’m sure you will discover the true path to victory.
I shall look forward to hearing of your grand exploits.

We were joined by some new allies in town. First was Velnor, Vivian’s brother. He’s an archer like Reyna.



Velnor: So you’re Ashley. I’ve heard of you… You might become the next Pope.
A fugitive from my country is here in Besek… I’ve got to find him.
And you are looking for something in Besek? So am I. How about working together?
Thank you. My sister Vivian would approve of us working together.



Velnor is a great mercenary. He’s a powerful ranged attacker, he can cure mental status effects, and he’s got the absolutely incredible buff Accelero. This increases the SPD of an ally for a while. More SPD means more actions, which lets us get even more out of how incredibly superior Ashley is. Velnor’s pretty vulnerable to magic but it’s not a huge issue.

We also met Nena, a young girl who is here with her guardian. She’s set on killing Majin, so we let her come along for her own safety.



Nena: My adoptive father and I are on a personal mission…
Uh, ummm… I just want you to know… I really look up to priests!
Ummm… If you’re going to fight the Majin, can I come with you?
Th-Thank you very much! I promise I won’t slow you down!



Nena’s a lot like Stein, only she can remove mental status instead of physical and she gets a bunch of status spells herself. I’m inclined to think she’s a bit better than him overall. She’s super squishy, though.

The people of Isapolis continue to be helpful.



Leon: Have you heard the word about weapon types? It’s pretty deep stuff!
There are 3 weapon types: Slash weapons include shortswords and greatswords.
Pierce weapons include rapiers, spears, shortbows, and longbows.
And lastly, Strike weapons: Axes, maces, librums, and staves.
Find each Majin’s weakness to each of these types to gain the advantage.
Well, you guys have a variety of weapons, so you should have a balanced party!

I think some of the Koona are training with weapons to fight back against the Majin, though to be honest that idea just sound so laughable.





Basil: You’re truly an exceptional representative of the Church.
The refugees you found are being cared for at Twilight’s Rest.
Please come visit when you can. I’m sure they’d love to thank you.



Muse: I was just practicing onstage a minute ago. I’m sorry you missed it.
But it’s so hard to dance in rhythm when there’s no music!
A band used to play here, but they were all kidnapped by Majin!
If you rescue them, we’ll have amazing music to listen to again.

The Valdian Knights have sent a team in as well I think.



Irina: The Council instructed me to investigate Besek.



Shivan: Now I see many lights… no, wait, it is one light shining many times.
What does this mean? I cannot fully understand it yet.
But I trust you will, when the time comes. May the gods protect you.

Evan’s been having some problems of his own I think.



Hi, Evan. How are you feeling?
Evan: I am feeling better, but…
What’s wrong?
Evan: I asked Basil to help me contact my family.
And he was unable to find a single family with my surname.
Maybe Basil misheard you…?
Evan: I do not believe so. I had him verify the name a number of times.
Hm, maybe you should have him look one more time, just in case?
Evan: Yes, you are right. I shall do that straight away.
I’ll check around and see what I can find out.
Don’t worry, we’ll find them! I’ll stop by again later, okay?
Evan: Alright, my lady. I shall see you then.

Still… I’m feeling much better now. I’m sure it’s just stress. I just need to get some rest, and everything will be fine.
- journal entry